Starsinger was a well endowed anthropomorphic wolf with sable fur punctuated with glistening white and silver on her fur. She looked like the night sky come to life. She had long, red hair that fell down her shoulders like mane, which complemented her blue eyes but clashed horribly with the rest of her ensemble. She wore forest green robes and a hood. Trickster admitted to himself that she looked really cute with her ears sticking through the fabric.
World Eater was dragon with black scales, ivory white spines and horns, and veins of gold flowing all out over his body. He appraised Trickster with piercing red eyes. Trickster also noticed a very nice, golden sword belted at World Eater’s side.
At least these guys don’t have horrible sounding names, he thought to himself.
The two robed and hooded beasts took him and Ru-lah to another balcony overseeing a another ballroom. Thankfully, this was less populated and had less debauchery happening on the dance floor. World Eater ordered cakes and tea for them to enjoy. Soon, a small assortment of different cake flavors and peppermint tea in too cute cups was before them. It had been brought by a parade of penguins and bunnies snappily dressed for serving.
“Furries,” Trickster grumbled under his breath.
“I hear you, there,” the dragon World Eater said. “We would not be here if there was not something profoundly wrong going on in Miami. Though, it can’t be said that we are even really here.”
Trickster caught the insane smile the briefly lit his face and flashed in his red eyes. That comment has some much needed meaning and context that he and his friend needed.
Before he could ask anything, Ru-lah beat him to the punch. “What exactly do you mean by not being all here? What exactly is going on with this place?”
“You told us that you started experiencing strange things once a strange ripple crossed your path,” Starsinger said. “The world turned grey for the briefest moment, and then everything changed to something it wasn’t. Getting caught in a video game for instance.”
The wolf sipped he tear tea demurely as World Eater snapped up a piece of lemon cake with his long tongue. The action halfway reminded Trickster of a frog, though he felt a dragon would not appreciate the comparison.
“What was that ripple anyway,” Trickster asked. “My friend and I have found ourselves in less than a year mixed up with these things called Doors. They always open a way to another world. We were told that some kind of war is going on, but frankly none of it makes any sense to us! Are you both from another world?”
The two animals shared a glance between one another.
“You ask for some very personal information,” Starsinger finally said.
“Don’t tell me that you want something from us in return,” Ru-lah growled. “We’ve already had enough of that with a witch in our travels.”
World Eater leaned in and spoke softly, “It’s not that we require something from you, but you have to know that if we reveal ourselves to you, it will bring you further into this war. Yes, there is a war going on. Are you sure that you really want that?”
“This is our fourth encounter with things like this,” Trickster reminded him. “I think we’re getting pulled into whatever this conflict is, whether we like or not.”
“Fair enough,” World Eater said, nodding slowly. He quickly took a sip of his own tea before continuing. “But first, please tell us how you came to hear about our war, and the Doors? What have others been trying?”
Trickster and Ru-lah both began explaining the mysteries that the Q Files had investigated. They spoke about finding the werewolves and vampires summoned through a Door. They explained the string of crazy events in provo, and finally the nightmares they had facing the Mother Jed in Memmelsruhe. Ru-lah also added in how these events aways disappeared and seemed to be covered up. Trickster finished with how the Q Files had been closed.
The entire time World Eater appeared to get progressively angrier with each detail.
Finally, he spat, “The Abominations are further along with their plans than we had anticipated! I thought that this incident felt very familiar to the war we fought on Makavar. But George was stopped… And yet I can still smell his touch even now.”
“I think you are getting ahead of yourself, Flame of my Heart,” Starsinger said cautiously. “That may or may not be the case just yet. Right now it is clear that the Abominations have made more attempts at breaking the barriers than before. At the very least, their actions have inspired others to do so.”
“They are using refugees and scared souls to do their dirty work. No one world possesses the ability to punch through to Reality,” the dragon snarled. “The Guardians must have known, but they have told us nothing!”
“Most still hate you for what happened back at the Towers,” Starsinger said quietly.
World Eater snorted loudly and glared up at the ceiling.
Trickster could feel that these two had an extensive history. The way they spoke and handled themselves spoke volumes. Sadly, those times were in a language he could not read. He needed to pry out more to get what he wanted.
“Excuse me,” he began. “I can tell that you two have a lot on your plate and all. May I ask what exactly drew you both here? And what is your relationship, really? Did you also get stuck as furries?”
Ru-lah gave him a scathing look as World Eater replied, “That’s complicated.”
“It is an overly long and fascinating tale,” Starsinger said at the same time, and then added, “And it’s none of your business.”
Trickster held up his hands and said, “Alright, I know when I’ve asked too much! Sorry.”
Ru-lah slugged his shoulder anyway.
World Eater suddenly chuckled and said, “It is understandable why you would ask such things. To satisfy some of your curiosity at the moment, we are both travelers in the Realms of Imagination. This is a collective universe of everyone’s, you guessed it, imaginations. Almost infinite worlds reside there, and at the moment, they are all being drawn into a war between rival factions.
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“The most important at the moment are the Abominations. And pray you never meet one,” he added in a growl.
Starsinger stepped in and added, “We came here through the rift that was caused by whatever is being used to momentarily merge Reality and Imagination. We sensed that something was very wrong with the Realms… We’ve experienced this before. And the results were almost devastating.”
“What exactly caused this rift? Why do you say ‘momentarily’,” Ru-lah asked.
“I’m not sure what caused the rift,” World Eater admitted. He then snatched up another cake with his tongue and spoke around his food. “But it feels similar to a time when a kid created a D&D style world that was used to forge connections between other worlds in the Realms. We didn’t learn until later that it was a kind of travel hub experiment of the Abomination. Using a dead boy’s creations to invade a girl’s mind and take over her body.”
Ru-lah gasped and Trickster felt his stomach swoop uncomfortably at the thought. He wasn’t sure why, but as the couple before him talked, he felt reassured of their every word. It was as whatever truths they were speaking were sinking into the very marrow of bones. And even deeper into his soul.
“We defeated the Abominations that oversaw that world,” Starsinger said. “It was a brutal and close contest. And eventually our champions were able to restore order to the world.”
“But it still feels like Makavar,” World Eater said tersely. “I just wish I understood why. Something is blocking my Sight.”
Ru-lah gasped again and then said hurriedly, “Trickster! Remember? Akerbaza went to an island where he could commune with gods of different plane, and it was associated with death! He must have connected with this world from a dead boy and these Abominations!”
She quickly explained everything to the dragon and wolf that they had learned from Velnir and how they thought it was relevant to their quest.World Eater reached over and gently rested a claw on both Ru-lah and Trickster’s foreheads. They jumped slightly from a shock. The dragon soon pulled back and grumbled a little.
“Well, this is very interesting. We are caught up in a Story my dear. And this is one that we if we try to break, we might bring ruin down on everyone.” He then gave the friends a fierce smile. “But that doesn't mean we cannot influence it directly.”
He then leaned back in his chair, which groaned and splintered under his weight and spikes. “Alright, Trick and Naomi, let’s start getting things set straight in your own minds and then we can get started.”
Trickster recoiled as memories, scents, sensations, and thoughts exploded from him and flooded into him simultaneously. It was insane. He saw Trickster’s life fly past and through him, from surviving on the streets as a kid, to joining a gang as a teen, and becoming a thief who rattled the cages as an adult. Then there was MetaKnight. It was kind of sad to see how often he defeated by that little pink ball Kirby.
Then there was Trick. He saw himself as a kid and pouring over books and weird stuff on the internet experimenting with toys, gadgets, and chemicals, getting into wayy too much trouble as a kid. And he embarrassedly remembered all of the dumb stunts he led until right before his first adventure with the Q Files. He then re-lived each crazy adventure and mystery up until this one.
Each life was complete and its own. Yet each was a part of him. Oddly, the question wasn’t who was Trick. Instead, it he had to ask himself the question, who wasn’t Trick? Each identity was part of a greater whole, and made him the ever evolving and living character he was.
A glance to the side allowed him to see that Ru-lah was going through the same thing. But no, Ru-lah was only part of who she was. He was looking at Naomi, wearing the character of Ru-lah. A figure just as comfortable and real as Naomi. He began to appreciate even more just how unique and special his friend was.
Once the episode ceased, Naomi said shakily, “Wow. That was a rush. And… That was not what I was expecting.”
“How so,” World Eater asked.
“I never thought that each character I had ever played as could really be a part of me,” Naomi said, looking at her hands, admiring her mixed heritage as a D&D character. “People do role playing games to live a life that isn’t there own. That is a large part of the appeal. That’s one of the reasons why Trick sucks so much at this.”
“Thanks,” he said, flatly.
“But that’s exactly the thing,” the dragon said, raising a clawed finger. “Everyone has many bits of identity within them. We can pull out these little pieces and give them even more personality and history. They can in effect become a whole new person. But, they will always be a part of us. Embracing these many different parts of our overall identity makes us much stronger than if we leave them seperate, or if we do not embrace them at all.”
Starsinger gave her companion an impressed look and then growled, “Why didn’t you explain that to me earlier?”
“Because the Story,” he offered.
“Not good enough,” she said, not letting up.
“Because I feared you would have tried running away or running me through,” he sighed.
“Well, that was well reasoned,” Starsinger said somewhat sourly. Then she added slyly, “At least in one situation.”
“Come again,” Trick asked.
“Doesn’t matter right now,” World Eater said gruffly. “What does matter right now is what we are going to do. By sorting out your complete selves, you will find that your abilities and faculties will have increased. But there is more.”
He reached into a pocket that was sown inside his robes and pulled out a small bag. He placed it on the table, and two brightly wrapped candies clattered on the surface as well. The dragon smiled slightly.
“Rare candies. Like what they have in Pokemon. This will let each of you progress a level.”
“But there are drawbacks to using them,” Naomi pointed out.
“If too many are eaten, yeah, they are no substitute for real experience. But sorting you two out will definitely balance everything out once you have taken them. It’ll help you become even more powerful for what comes next.”
“And what is that exactly? You said this was similar to something you have fought before,” Naomi said.
“You are stuck in a Dungeons and Dragons campaign,” World Eater explained. “You have to pursue it to its end. I am not sure what you will find at the end, but it will likely be something that is acting like a Door.”
“Yeah, and again, what is a Door,” Trickster asked, as he opened up the bag and checked its contents.
“A Door is a magical connection between worlds that will allow instant traveling. Usually only a few can use Doors. They are an ancient kind of mix of technology and magic. But the Abominations have found a way of using them in abundance, and now you’ll find them much more often throughout the Realms. There are those who think that a Door could allow them to come to your world, our Reality.”
Starsinger added, “But what is happening ere is not the work of a traditional Door. Instead, this is the effect of the Grey World, the in-between place that bridges Imagination and Reality. The Grey World can flux and cover an area of Reality, giving people a moment when they live out a place and time in Imagination.
“I wouldn’t be surprised if the time that has passed would be less than a minute already,” she laughed.
“But we talked to our mothers,” Trick said slowly.
The dragon leaned forward and said quietly, “Time ia a crazy thing. But chances are, you parents were also dragged into the influence of the Grey World bubble for a brief moment. And that is a terrifying thought. But to stop its influence, we need to end this as quickly as possible.”
“You gave us more candies,” Naomi said, looking into the bag that Trick’s hand was rummaging around in.
“You’ll both find a brief letter explaining those wonderful little candies,” World Eater explained. “They pack a wonderful punch when you use them! But that is not all.”
He reached into another pocket and brought out two rings. He explained that they would fit perfectly to the friends’ fingers and boost their stats further.
“But that is not the last of it. Here Trick, a dagger that you will find very helpful,” he said, placing a silver handed dagger with a curved, black sheath. “A curse or two can always come in handy, even if they are dangerous.”
He shared a wink with Trick as Starsinger pulled out a necklace from her own robe. It was a sparkling, black thread with crystal teeth tied to it.
“Naomi,” she said. “While wearing this, your access to spells will increase. It’s time that you put your paladin status to good use.”
“And with that, so sorry to eat and run, but it is time that you two were off. Finish up your tea,” World Eater instructed.
Trick drained his now cooler tea as Naomi asked, “But how do we get out of here?”
“Come on,” World Eater laughed. “We’re like walking, living, breathing deus ex machinas.”
“We break the established rules all the time,” Starsinger assured them.
“Then why not help us further,” Trick asked.
You might catch sight of us again before the end. Now, quick! Time is of the essence,” World Eater replied.
He snapped his fingers and Trick and Naomi found themselves facing the many double, glass door of a convention center. Behind them was the noise of many shuffling and partying furries. But they were alone. The candies were in their hands. Trick also had a small chocolate cake.
“Somehow, I feel like our story just got hijacked,” Trick finally said.
“Well, whatever it was that just happened, I think they just gave us a fighting chance,” Naomi said, checking out her ring before popping a rare candy into her mouth.
Trick did the same. It was… Well, it was the taste of life. Bitter and sweet, quick and long lasting. It was fantastic and scary to eat it and feel a rush throughout his body. Somehow, he already felt older and different.
“Okay, I’ve got all that weirdness behind me. And that was a lot! Let’s get out of here,” he said grimacing. “The smell of furries is beginning to get to me.”