Despite our mutterings in the cool dead of night, the promises we’d already made to each other, Tiktik pleads once more, “Could, could we maybe, just maybe have a few days, like a week together, to last me until I get to see you again? Or at the very least, a weekend? Please Tiger?”
The guilt twisting my heart like a knife is too strong to resist as I acquiesce once again, perhaps having to reassure Tiktik that what I said in the dead of night wasn’t just false pillow-talk, “A whole week Kitten. Six more days. I’m honored to get to spend them with you. I’m pretty sure I’m not recovering mana, or even SP, from sleeping in here, nor is my body regenerating, but as long as we’re careful, it shouldn’t affect my ability to get back to the war when we leave. I’m surprised you were able to adventure so much, for so long. Did you have to return to the Hidden Heart to sleep to get your SP pools back?”
Scrunching her adorably upturned nose while furrowing her brow curiously, Tiktik shakes her head while responding, “No, I got my SP and everything back every night. Well, I mean, I always went in with it full. I mean, I wasn’t even a sorceress of much of any power when I first started going in. Like I said, I’ve been adventuring for decades, maybe a couple centuries. Do you think that mattered?”
Nodding, since I’d figured about as much, I answer, “Yeah. Yeah I’m pretty sure you can only recover up to as well as when you entered the ‘Twixt. Something prevents you from abusing it to speed up healing, or doing heavy muscular activity, or a few things like that. Things that it would take you normally a while to recover from. I’m not sure the exact reasonings, or exact rules, but I’m pretty sure I’ve got about the basics of it down. Then again, it might be because my ‘Twixt is new, and being generated. Maybe I can’t use it as a method to heal, or really recover in it until it has been around for a few decades? Ah well, I’m just making wild mass guesses. Come on Kitten, how about some breakfast? Do you want me to bring it to you in bed?”
Her eyes go wide as her mouth forms a moue before asking, “Really?!”
Smiling and nodding, I gear up and begin to head towards the door as I let Tiktik luxuriate in bed for a while longer yet. They’re amazingly comfortable beds, and I figured she could use a bit more rest after both our emotional turmoil of yesterday, and the, erm, physical toil of, ah, heh, well, y’know. As I’m closing the door to our room, I hear her playfully, quietly yell out, “See if they have muffins!”
Approaching what seems to be more or less a continental breakfast buffet shelf, and muffin rack, I glance around for signage. Thankfully it appears to be all-you-can-eat for the breakfast buffet for those who’ve paid for room and board. Returning to our room with a platter loaded with food, especially muffins, I’m only slightly surprised to see Tiktik’s current state of attire. I raise an eyebrow, and my quirky Kitten grins mischievously. Rolling my eyes, I set the tray aside for a while.
After another fair while of making our quiet promises to each other, bonding and doing our best to heal the hurts that have been formed by absence, we begin eating breakfast together. Or at least try to. I close my eyes and sigh, trying not to roll my eyes or shake my head as I find my ear being nommed on. Wearing a wry grin, I comment, “You know, you’ve literally got muffins right there.”
It takes quite a lot of willpower to not burst out laughing as Tiktik tries to say, “But you’re the best muffin, muffin,” into my ear, while her lips and teeth are wrapped around it. Mostly because it comes out, “muh err ve meft mfm mfm.”
Suddenly, despite having eaten very little, Tiktik shoots up, extremely alert as she announces, “Le gasp! Look at the time! It’s already prank o’clock!”
As Tiktik attempts to leap off the bed, to no doubt prank some hapless bystander, I snag her in my arms mid-leap. In my embrace, she bemoans in a long drone, “Must prank.”
Feeling bad, since I know it’s fairly likely a compulsion with Tiktik, I free her of my grip, which leaves her pouting as she glances back and forth between me and the door. It looks like she’s about to tear her hair out as she virtually vibrates while trying to fight herself. After a few moments though, Tiktik rapidly fires off, “KaykaythankyouTigerloveyouseeyouinafewminutesberightbackstayrighthereplease.”
I’m left blinking several times as I try to parse what Tiktik said that she’d squashed into a single breath, with no spaces between syllables. Shaking my head, I smile as she rushes off to set up her regularly scheduled pranking. Laying back on the bed, I yawn and roll my muscles, stretching slowly, enjoying the softness and warmth of the bed in a way I wasn’t able to do last night. At least, I wasn’t able to do it very much. We’d been laying awake talking for a long, long while, before falling asleep in each other’s arms. Unintentionally I begin to let myself doze.
Awakening to Tiktik yelling out a saddened moan of, “Tiiiiger, open up, let me innnnn,” I’m a bit abashed, realizing that apparently Tiktik didn’t take the key with her, and apparently the doors lock automatically in a way that’s nearly impenetrable.
As I quickly gather my wits, I rush to the door to open it for Kitten, who lunges at me immediately upon its opening. We’d probably go tumbling if I didn’t catch us both in telekinetic grips as Tiktik kicks the door closed behind us. Rolling my eyes, I try not to act like a jerk as a smile fights its way across my face. Apparently Tiktik wants a snuggly little nap, and some breakfast, before we actually get around to doing anything. I can’t say I’m averse to it, or the rest of the, erm, benefits that come with it. The evil smirk I get from Tiktik is clue enough for me to shut my mind off again for a little bit.
After some finesse, Tiktik agrees to show me a bit more about how the ‘Twixt works. We manage to get me set up bound at a citystone, and complete a “quest” to acquire the means to return to it at virtually any time, almost. They’re magic items bound to the ‘Twixt that remain here when leaving that let us navigate to the citystone. They have an hour long casting time of course. That does end up meaning you really have to be in a safe location, or be able to concentrate for an hour, whatever you’re doing. It is incredibly video-gamey. Then again, maybe video-gameyness is based on something like this? Ugh, why am I even comparing Fakeworld to the magic of the ‘Twixt?
Apparently, regular coins do work here, but any coins obtained here that my town calls souls, won’t leave the ‘Twixt with me. But at least they’ll be in any container I used if I bring the same container back, or if I leave one here. I’m a tad leary, wary of the fact that the ‘Twixt trolled me with the name for coins in this town.
Gnawing on my cheek, I ask Tiktik, “Is there a way that we could generate another town? One that can’t really get to this town? Or like, a mini demiplane, or transdimensional storage vault or something?”
Tapping her chin, gazing skyward ponderously, Tiktik shrugs before offering up, “Not entirely sure if I’m understanding what you need. It depends on what you need it for. What’s up Tiger? Is this that security thing you needed for the present you wanted to give the refugees?”
Nodding, I’m forced to clarify, “Yeah, that, and I’ve got all those prisoners inside me. Two separate places, that can’t interact with each other, would be the most ideal. I don’t exactly want to let a bunch of powerful Spellknights loose in a realm where they can train up their magic and become stronger and whatever else they might be able to do, but if they can never get out without a Fae, and never get to the asset I want to deploy, it won’t matter too much.”
Grinning like a goon, Tiktik bobs her head aggressively in confirmation before responding, “Yeah, yeah I think I can do something about that. Have I got a magnificent mansion for you to see! Boy howdy buster! Hehe, I suppose I could have saved us the price of an inn stay or two, but what’s the fun in robbing you of the experience? Ah, an-,anyways. So, well, if we start traveling, looking for a city that’s like, a prison city, or guarded city, or something, one is bound to spring up, literally.”
More than a tad abashed, she continues explaining, “We can let your, um, friends out there. I have no idea how you’re going to do that. If it’s like when you and Big T were reaching out to your homeworld powers, I can’t even imagine what that’s going to do to you with dozens or hundreds of people coming out of you. Just, just please be okay? Okay? So, um, anyway, come on Tiger, let’s go!”
Plenty happy to be journeying with a once-more jubilant Tiktik, she and I set out across the countryside, accepting several jobs posted on crossroads signs and the like. Most of them sound fairly simple, routing wild animals that have taken over a barn, clearing out an aqueduct bypass, or even defending a town from a war party of rampaging orcs. Each time though, the creatures are far more powerful than you’d expect for such banal, entry-level quests. We aren’t in awfully too much danger, but the rewards aren’t so great either, though they are scaling up faster and faster the further we get from town.
Of course, every quest related person we meet, Tiktik has to introduce herself to in her adorably silly fashion. She also has to pull at least two pranks a day, and thankfully they’re not all directed at me. Though having fun, Tiktik’s constantly on the lookout for Bizzenblade, which worries me. If some semi-omnipotent sentient weapon comes seeking her and her soul, I’m not sure if I’m fast enough or powerful enough to stop it. Of course, that’s one more reason for us to not spend centuries together in the ‘Twixt just yet.
Plus, none of my resources are recovering at all in the ‘Twixt. Not the charge in my magical items, nothing. Well, perhaps there might be some things that I’m not noticing that are acquiring some sort of lessened ambient mana or something. We do have to remember that my ‘Twixt realm has only *just* been created, from almost nothing, which likely means it’s not very mana-rich yet, or at all. It’s still expanding, constantly. Maybe if we stayed in place for a few weeks, months, or years, the ‘Twixt could build up residual and ambient mana for the locations I frequent, but we don’t have that luxury.
Besides, I have a feeling that if I found a way to abuse the ‘Twixt and cheat in order to gain advantages like I did with the orb, the ‘Twixt would find a way to cheat me back, and negate the progress, possibly even sending me further back. Hell, for all I know, the orb could have been a gateway to the ‘Twixt, and it’s pissed at me for abusing it which might have led to the trolling, and lack of even basic recovery. My bruises aren’t healing, and my bones aren’t mending, at least, not noticeably at the rate I’m expected to with my regeneration. Plus, I think I’ve got deeper internal contusions. It makes adventuring a tad bit painful, which I think the ‘Twixt might just be delighting in. That possible sadistic joy might even be why I’m not recovering in the physical manner.
Even simple activities freshly spawned for me are scaled up massively in power or size. As much as Tiktik thinks it’d be fun to chase a big bounty together, I don’t think I want her chasing any of the bounties from my town. I know she’s incredibly powerful, and can take care of herself, but if those things are scaled off of our combined abilities, I’m afraid she’d be in over her head, especially if I couldn’t keep up with her tracking abilities. I’m terrified of the idea of something that’s got the combined strength of a supposed challenge for her, with things that are supposed to be challenging for me. The things that challenge me these days are creatures like the Damnations, or phylactery-empowered hellfire-skeleton-bombing Spellknight-liches.
When an ocean virtually springs up in front of us, I’m pretty sure I get the idea of how the ‘Twixt is going to help us. When there’s a job-posting to rescue an ex-pirate from sahuagin, with the reward being a, “kraken-proof-sailboat,” I’m fairly certain I know what’s next. Tiktik and I rush off to save the poor man. We’re accompanied by the target’s wife, a burly, older sailor lass by the name of Brunhild. The woman appears to be in her late sixties, and still quite fierce, but she’s essentially a reckless escort NPC that we have to keep safe against the spell-slinging sahuagin.
Reuniting Brunhild with Ziegdrif, her husband, earns us their “kraken-proof-sailboat,” stationed at the nearby pier. Tiktik is downright giddy as she switches over to nautical speak and piratical accents, “Avast lad or lass, shiver me timbers we arrrrr going to set sail o’er the briny deep, past Davy Jones locker. Ahoy me hearty Tiger, hoist the mainsails, strike the yardarm, boon the jib, and other such things!”
Snorting with laughter, I can’t get enough of my goonish, goofy friend. Sighing contentedly, I watch her struggling to figure out how to sail the ship. Oddly enough, some of what she said is correct, but I’m busy studying a map that is stationed within the tiny covered helm, near its three seats. Shivers run down my spine, when a massive circle of the sea simply says, “Here there be krakens.”
It doesn’t take a genius to see that the ‘Twixt is herding us towards the kraken-circle center. Setting sail isn’t too difficult an affair, with my Fakeworld genre senses. Navigating I can actually leave up to Tiktik, since she’s better with a sextant, and that isn’t a euphemism. Though, come to think of it, she’s probably better with that too. I don’t even want to picture what a sex tent might be though.
Several hours of sailing across the sea lead us to what feels like hell on blue water. Colossal, massive tentacles thrash about everywhere. Stormclouds thunder and crack with lightning incessantly, and the sea itself roils, tossing what seem like mile high waves at us, one after another. Thankfully, there’s truth in advertising, and the ship seems to be enchanted to repel the waves, the tentacles, and even the odd lightning strike or two. There’s a sphere of safety around the ship that barely perfectly encapsulates the whole thing. My heart is racing a mile a minute as it takes us what seems like days, but is at minimum about an hour of sailing through such treacherous waters before we return to reasonably calm seas in the center of the ring of krakens. It might have taken a lot longer. It was hard to tell, because I think I held my breath almost the entire time, taking only a deep breath when I ran out on occasion.
The shining beacon of a seemingly floating island of wonder is like gazing upon a miracle, or mystery of the ancient world. A near-continental sized landmass floats above the central region of this sea, though only slightly, and it’s covered in a massive translucent blue dome. The blue coloration might not actually be the dome, but rather the clear skies above it. It’s hard to tell from our angle. Anyway—.
There’s a pier, and what look to be floating steps that will lead up to a landing, high up on a shelf which contains a path to the city proper. Docking our sailboat, Tiktik and I carefully hop, climb, levitate, and fly our way up the floating steps. As we carefully scale the rocky terrain towards the city-proper, Tiktik seems more giddy by the moment. When some of the buildings begin to come into view as we’re cresting a final rise, I’d swear Tiktik was about to burst.
Hugging me tightly, Tiktik exclaims, “Your ‘Twixt is the best ‘Twixt! It’s so crazy adventurous! Thank you for sharing this with me Tiger. This place is amazing! Look at that, oo and that, and that. Oh look over there! Oh I could have soooo much fun pranking those guys! You better bet your muster buster. Look they look so stuffy, like border guards or something. I’ma go do that!”
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W—wait. Crap. Hah. It’s impossible to fight the smile spread across my face, as I watch Tiktik do her usual greeting, somehow finagling even completely stoic guards into shaking her hand, resulting in the whoopee cushion gag. Twice, right next to each other. She is right though, this place is like some sort of Laputian wonder of a long lost bygone civilization of the ancient world. It’s definitely amazing, and crazy-adventure-filled. Hell, I bet there’s plenty of secrets to discover just in this section of this city on this island alone.
Runic technology or something that’s indistinguishable from unknowable magics are intertwined in every facet of all of the architecture. It looks honestly like a bit of a paradise. I do however feel almost certain that a place like this, in the ‘Twixt, is what you make of it. If you live well, happily, and peacefully, it could very well be a paradise. If instead, you’re warlike, constantly trying to “escape,” or harm or subjugate others, it could turn hellish pretty quickly.
None of the residents care as we ask if we can drop off several hundred newcomers. Shrugging, I begin engaging my Backpotter form as we explore this island in the sky. Its base is barely above sea-level, but it must have been a mile of climbing floating steps to reach the first landing, and then another mile of twisting paths up a rocky cliffside to reach the city itself. Tiktik jubilantly rushes from location to location, greeting denizens and marveling at every last spectacle or oddity. It’s so amazing to see her precious joy and sense of wonder. My smile becomes tender as I sigh contentedly once more.
When I reach what I can sense is essentially a naturally respawning mining system dug into the core of the island, I grin more intensely, knowing this is the right place to free the Draconiacs. They can harvest their own mineral food. The ‘Twixt will probably provide them custom tailored jobs or something, allowing them to earn income, on top of the citizenry here allowing them to mine for their daily needs or their lavish wants. What I wouldn’t give to be able to just bring every peace loving person here, from both worlds. That would take several millenia though. If I even could convince and gather and transport people to the ‘Twixt one at a time from around both worlds, then navigate the regions to sail them through kraken infested waters to get here.
Querying, I poke Tiktik in the arm, “Kitten? If we don’t tell the Draconiacs that this is the ‘Twixt, will the ‘Twixt keep it secret for us? The less they know about their situation, the less they’re likely to be able to try to escape, or even want to.”
Pontificating, wearing a thoughtful expression, Tiktik takes a moment to think before shrugging and guessing, “Maybe. Not sure. Never really been done before, ya dig? Only don’t, because you’ll get dirty.”
Snirking and rolling my eyes, I shrug as well, having figured about as much on my own. When my Backpotter form manifests, Tiktik giddily lunges at it, and climbs my soft furry features to nuzzle whatever parts of me she can reach. She squeals with further delight when I double in size via my archsorc staff. When I begin to unzip my chest, my Kitten marvels at my internals being revealed to be voidspace. Testingly, I attempt to draw Big-O’Keul from my internal inventory space, but, surprisingly, I can’t lift it out, and I can’t get leverage on it to find some other way to slide it out.
That’s unfortunate. I won’t be able to place it anywhere until I either risk bleeding light and life, or return to my normal connection with my Can’Z’aasian powers. Since I can’t pull out Big-O’Keul, I instead start by pulling out the statue of Zelshiz, carefully, and setting it down next to Tiktik. Loading Tiktik up with a heaping helping of diamonds and diamond dust, her eyes sparkle at the vast wealth of gems and material, but she quickly gets to work using her moderate cureall upon Zelshiz.
I could weep as my emotions lodge in my throat, when Zelshiz, screaming in terror, returns to life. She, or he paws and claws at herself, or himself, and gazes around in wild-eyed terror that becomes wide-eyed wonder. I owe her or him a bunch of explanations, but I might as well retrieve their comrades first. Some of them could use medical attention, for sure.
Still, it’s easy enough to begin grabbing, and dumping out a horde of Draconiac Spellknights, all in their skivvies. Is there anything I should provide them with other than info? Nah, I mean, other than getting some locals to offer them some medical aid anyway. It’s relatively easy to request help from these peace-loving Laputian residents. Thankfully, at least for right now, no one from Vorzog’s Keep is dumb enough to start any trouble while their allies still require healing and help.
I call out, “Welcome back everybody. Yes, it’s me, Schism, still. I’m sorry to put you through that, but I’ve brought you to a place that can be a paradise for you, if you choose it to be. The people here are peaceful, the land itself protected, and plentiful. Far more than you could imagine. It is however an island surrounded on all sides by storms and kraken. That means you’ll never have to fear being invaded, or harmed.”
The drone of chatter becomes almost too much for me to bear as emotions on all lengths of the spectrum abound. Fear and anger are plentiful, but so too are wonder, and curiosity. There’s a fair amount of poignant observations that it looks like the Worldstorm exists in a giant circle around this island, while having a massive sunny hole above it, despite that not technically being what it is. That observation though leads to many of the reptilian people relishing the sunlight.
There’s also plenty of sadness for the losses incurred in our assault on Vorzog’s keep, joy at being spared such a fate, and so much more. Unsure if there’s anything I should really do, other than let them go in peace, I turn towards leaving. Zelshiz however politely begs my attention.
Turning towards them, I raise one of my enormous brows, and motion for them to continue, so she requests, “I, I suppose this isn’t Solace, or anywhere near it. I take it you are responsible for the downfall of ShizTinth? Or, one of your number anyway. I, I saw him, through your magical lenses, in good health, chatting with a shopkeep, seemingly happily. Um, Lord Shiz that is. I know you owe me nothing, and you must have saved my life in more ways than one, but I’d dearly, dearly like to be reunited. If, if I could somehow beg that of you, to join you at Solace.”
Oh! That’s why Zelshiz looked so shocked when they looked through the goggles. Suddenly there come a few shouts of, “Here here!” in response to Zelshiz’s admission of wanting to accompany me to solace. A small group breaks off from the main body of the Draconiacs to stand behind Zelshiz, apparently wanting to accompany them. This once again complicates matters, but it’s a complication I’m happy to work around. Smiling, I nod at Zelshiz, happy to help reunite them with Shiz, in whatever form that takes. He’s been a good ally, and friend, since he accepted our mercy.
Answering Zelshiz, I ask, “Sorry about everything. Welcome back. I hope this isn’t rude, but do you have a preferred gender terminology? I heard Adkre refering to you both as he and she. But, well, yes, you and this troop of yours can definitely come with to Solace. I left Triorgraiz to get more swift expert medical attention with some people I cherish and trust. I’m hoping she recovers, and also that she doesn’t lash out if she’s capable of returning to good health.”
We’ve got to also get Triorgraiz’s mount back to her somehow. I’m fairly certain that he’ll dutifully stay at her side, while Tiago tends to the wounded woman. She seems like she’s seen reason well enough, and cares enough about other people to not lash out at the refugees, especially when they’re now protected by something like sixteen dragons. I feel like, if Triorgraiz ever wakes, she’ll be fine, and maybe Tiktik can get someone to give her a lift to Mount Solace if needbe. Or Tiktik could bring her here, to this paradise island within the kraken circle sea or whatever the hell you’d call this region.
Zelshiz clues me in cordially enough, “Either or, both really, but it’s hard to put ‘em both in a sentence, y’know? Adkre, despite the craziness, wasn’t disrespecting me or anything. Trio’s alive though? I’m surprised. That hit—. It looked bad. Really bad. She—, she didn’t deserve that. Vorzog’s an ass, his whole troop was, and whatever payback you dealt him could never have been enough.”
Nodding somberly, I agree, it did look bad, and still does, according to Tiago. Gazing out across the several dozen Draconiac Spellknights gathered up behind Zelshiz, I gnaw on my lip. I’m not sure if I should mention the fact that we slew Adkre and Vorzog, when I don’t know whom of these individuals was loyal to whom. If we can get at least this party of Zelshiz’s troops out of the ‘Twixt, we can at least get them transported home to Solace, by the twelve ancient consorts.
We still have a siege to deal with though too. I also wanted to deploy a shop that Tiktik could reach, while I had access to this form. I won’t have access to it, for quite a while again after this, depending on how the ‘Twixt decides to work with that potion having been the reason I had enough mana to use the form.
Before I even have to ask, since she was riding my mind to hear my mental monologue, Tiktik quips, “Oh yeah, almost forgot! Check this out Tiger, and other palsie walsies! Um, eeny meeny. You and you and you, okay, all of you are coming with, yeah? Okay, I hereby invite you to my magnificent mansion!”
Tiktik runs towards a wall and I’m about to lash her in a telekinetic grip to keep her from hurting herself when she slaps the wall like delivering a high five, causing a door to appear upon it. Opening the door, Tiktik motions us inside, and I can see a rather plush living space on its far side. I have to drop my enlargening spell, and apply the shrinking spell, to be able to fit through it, but that’s no big deal. Once inside, there’s plenty of space to resume my enormous height. This feels like a demi-plane. Its own minor pocket dimension. This is *exactly* the sort of place I want to deploy the shop, so that only Tiktik can access it, with whatever people she allows in.
Quipping chipperly, Tiktik responds to my thoughts, “Yep yep! It’s my spell, and it can keep things in it, but not people, for as long as I want. There’s some other rules ‘n’ stuff, but it’s boring, and you can probably guess enough. Nothing that should interfere with your propagatious plans buster. So, go on, show me this thingy you’re excited to gift to the refugees!”
Struggling to restrain my smile, I watch as Tiktik raptly awaits my deployment. The Draconiacs explore different facets of the mansion, including exiting and entering the door, while some of their companions from the contingent outside, are incapable of entering. Zelshiz eyes me with curiosity, and I suppose they’ll find out sooner or later about the shop system anyway, since they’re coming home with us.
Zelshiz did already see it in action partially through the goggles as well, so I beckon for Tiktik to invite her, or him and me to Tiktik’s private study. It’s an even *more* private sanctum that has another layer of security that similarly allows only Tiktik and those she invites in, upon it. Reaching inside myself, deep down, I scrounge around and withdraw a fully carpentered Can’Z’aasian magical digital shop stall.
After setting it up, both women look a bit perplexed as I hand Tiktik a wad of hundred dollar bills. At least until I call out, “Greetings handsome and lovely travelers, how may this humble shopkeep be of service on this fine day?”
Grinning like a madbeast, Tiktik slams down the cash and playfully demands, “I want your finest hooch good ‘keep!”
Most of the money derezzes, swiftly, and is replaced by a crystal decanter filled with an amber liquid that smells of ambrosia. There’s something odd going on with the interplay between the ‘Twixt and Can’Z’aas that’s changing things up, but seemingly for the better. Usually my goods are roughly the quality of crap. Motioning for Tiktik to take the liquid, then tend the shop, I step to the other side, and request to sell my trash-loot from the ‘Twixt, curious to see if the coinage follows me out or not. Placing my earnings inside a sack, to keep it separate from my other coinage, I nod gratefully at Tiktik.
Zelshiz takes in the scene with a fair bit of wonder. Despite being able to wield magic, and knowing plenty about magic her-or-him-self, the idea of trading equitably with nothing, producing goods from thin air, despite them having witnessed it through the goggles as well, is catching them off guard. I can see their sharp mind racing as they piece together the implications. I’m so glad he, or she, surrendered, or allied themself with me, however you want to think of it. Also of course I’m glad that Tiktik was able to save them. The two pour shots from the decanter, and toast to the purchase before throwing back the shots. Both of them gag and cough, and stick their tongues out. Yeah, that’s more of what I expected from my shop. I’m glad I don’t really drink alcohol, heh.
I make certain I’ve deployed or released everyone and everything that I need to, that I can, for now. When I’m certain I’m as done as can be with my inventory magic, I allow the Backpotter form to dissolve, leaving me in my horned, tailed RS2 form. Tiktik waves everyone out of her mansion, and motions behind her after leaving it, causing the door to disappear entirely. Triorgraiz’s mount looks weary, pained, and confused, but thankfully Zelshiz is able to convince him to come along, as our now much larger party returns to the “kraken-proof-sailboat.” Thankfully, there’s room belowdecks for the new crew to squeeze in a bit tightly together.
The return journey is just as seemingly perilous, but yet again, the vessel itself protects us from the otherwise treacherous waters and storms. Zelshiz comments on how unlikely it is their allies will ever leave that island, and I nod in agreement. I didn’t have the time to personally do a psych eval for each of the several hundred Draconiac Spellknights, to invite them back to our home. This is the better solution. Since we still have wounded, I keep Triorgraiz’s mount, Fennel apparently, shrunk, and I summon horses whilst using the Cosmic Roundsheathe to create Featherlight Titanwood, and fabricate that into three carriages. It’s slower going, with only one horse pulling each carriage, but the wounded seem fairly grateful.
Sighing, I look back on the time I’ve spent with Tiktik in the ‘Twixt. It was immensely enjoyable, but I can’t keep giving in to spending more time here as much as I desperately want Tiktik to ask me to, and to agree to any desire she requests of me. Though I have actually benefited one way from the ‘Twixt at least. I’ve found my current precise SP limit, where my muscles begin to slack. It’s just after six-hundred ninety-six SP. Going beyond that, my muscles start to hate me. I guess I at least rejuvenate one SP per day here, but ugh, I am not going to spend millenia trying to abuse that in order to learn spells or expand my SP pool.
There are a few topics Tiktik has refused to talk about while we were here, like her recovery from her injuries, and certain feelings she’s had pent up. I can tell she feels that even friends like Keeley and Marshal have left her. I understand her abandonment issues quite well. I don’t want to argue with her, and tell her that Te and I haven’t abandoned her, or that Littlebit didn’t abandon her, since she ran away from the Hidden Heart. Even still, I wish I could help her combat those issues, to reassure her, and comfort her.
Tiktik knows it’s an irrational fear, and that it makes her want to push away the people she cares about most, so that she doesn’t have to take the heartbreak of feeling like she’s being abandoned, if she’s the one choosing it. It’s a touchy topic, one that we can’t really address, despite us both loving the other, and me wanting to reassure her. The days flew by altogether too fast, and both of us lament our agreement, but we have to keep to it, or I’d never leave.
Taking one last quest from a job-board with Tiktik, it sounds like the reward is permanent access to an exit, by investing in the town. Essentially, our “fetch quest” objective is a few hundred thousand coins, with our reward being a gateway or something. Thankfully, reward scaling began ramping up while Tiktik and I did more and more quests together here in the ‘Twixt. It doesn’t take much time at all for me to scrounge up the money, and take it to a construction site. The foreman accepts my “investment,” and immediately begins to order workers to start on the project. Over the course of a few hours, a dais appears, with nearly a dozen archways. Each one holds an odd tear in space. Most of them are grey, neutral, unassuming, and seemingly inert. Two however, are not.
What the hell is going on here? Through that rift, I see the catacombs and I see Tiktik and me frozen during our tumbling into the ‘Twixt’s entryway, with what appear to be aura outlines of the Draconiacs and Fennel popping into existence. Through this other rift, I see what appears to be the Hidden Heart, and what might be the hands of me and Tiktik as we roll tumbling out of it. Both of them are like a freeze-frame of a film. If we try to go through the one, back to the catacombs of Jeegoobotstan, we’ll just fall back into the ‘Twixt. If we go through the other, we’re going to be falling into the Hidden Heart.
The heartache and fear painted across Tiktik’s visage sends an ache through my core. She’s not ready to face her home yet. Sighing sadly, I agree to try leaving back the way we came with her. Unfortunately, though our consciousnesses and perceptions are able to view the Jeegoobotstan catacombs for the briefest of flickering instants, we end up falling through the sky near the alleyway I’d originally arrived at. Of course, the ‘Twixt decides to angle us such that Tiktik lands upon my face again. Shaking my head and rolling my eyes at the nature of the realm, I levitate Kitten and myself up to our feet, and walk to the nearest stoop to sit on. Resting my elbows on my knees, and head in my palms, I’m unsure what to do.
After some sniffling, and likely some saddened soul-searching, Tiktik guesses, “Tiger? I—. I guess we’ve gotta go home. To my home I mean.”
Wiping her tears away and pulling her to me, I kiss Tiktik lovingly for a long moment, only slightly embarrassed to be doing it in front of a crowd of people that are technically my prisoners. Still confused though, I ask, “Can they leave on their own though? It looks like they’re supposed to appear back in Jeegoobotstan.”
Giggling, Tiktik exclaims, “Oh that one’s easy! One of us has to just boot ‘em through the portal, like this, watch!”
Tiktik starts shoving, pushing, nudging, and outright tackling people through the portal, fulfilling the jumbled pile of auras that foretells of their arrival in Jeegoobotstan. Zelshiz chuckles abashedly, and accepts being knocked through the portal as well, leaving Tiktik and I a last few moments alone in the ‘Twixt. Sadness and apprehension in her eyes, she takes my hand, and we step through towards the Hidden Heart.