Pluto, Xera, and Powehi teleported onto a road surrounded by rolling green fields. Silver, flocculent clouds billowed as they soared across the sky. The wind was light but strong enough to move their clothing.

Xera pulled the stone from her pocket and unwrapped it. The red stone moved in the direction they were facing. Following Xera's lead, the others began walking along the road.

As they traveled, they heard a rumbling sound. When they looked at the sky, they saw the clouds darken. They stopped when they felt the ground quake. They looked around with quizzical looks.

Suddenly, a group of reckless youth sped by on hover-bikes. They wore leather jackets, torn black pants, and masks that covered their heads. As they raced by, their vehicles kicked up dirt at the group.

"What was that about?" Pluto coughed.

Xera and Powehi both shrugged. They carried on when the sky cracked and the clouds burst, drenching them with rain. The trio rushed forward, hoping to find shelter from the downpour.

The road inclined to a hill. As they crested the hill, they saw a large building with smoke rising from a brick chimney. The building was contrived of wood and appeared to be newly constructed. There was a sign which read: Friends of a Feather Inn. Above the inscription was a picture of a dapper duck holding a mug and smoking a pipe. The trio rushed inside the wooden doors. There was a stone hearth within there blazed a welcoming fire. A wooden bar adorned the room, along with circular tables. Patrons sat at these tables. The scene was almost idyllic until chaos erupted.

Four small goblins rushed from a door behind the bar. They were carrying plates of food above their heads. A woman with pink cheeks, a white and red dress, and barefoot took to a stage built opposite the bar. Lights on the ceiling beamed at her as she pulled out an instrument. Her face turned red as she belted out a song. Many of the guests were plugging their ears. A blue-skinned man in fancy robes was laughing amidst the cacophony. Instead of sitting at a table, he was floating in his place. A man in black armor stood beside him, his cape billowing despite the lack of wind. He was standing up and counting a large number of gold coins.

As if the performance couldn't get any wilder, a duck wearing a top hat and a monocle joined the woman on the stage. The woman was dancing around madly, almost tripping over her own feet. The two men laughed vigorously and then raised their mugs to the performers.

The woman finished her song. She downed a whole glass of a brown liquid and then threw the mug at the wall, where it shattered. She walked off the stage with the duck on her shoulder. Two young men with leather jackets approached her. A verbal argument ensued before the girl punched them in the gut.

This action led to most of the inn getting into a brawl. The patrons threw fists and mugs at one another. Pluto, Xera, and Powehi had to maneuver to avoid getting involved. The man in black quickly put his coins into a black bag and put it in one of his pockets. He and his friend got up and tried to calm the crowd. The blue-skinned man waved his hands. A sparkle radiated from his fingers, then a set of vines grew up from the ground and wrapped around the trouble starters. The man in black took out a sword and slammed the hilt into the back of their heads. The two friends took the men and tossed them out of the inn.

The room erupted with applause and then returned to their meals and drinks. Another set of goblins came out with brooms and began cleaning the mess. The strange men returned to their table with the dapper duck, then continued counting coins.

The woman stumbled over to Pluto and the group, still standing at the entrance.

"Sorry about that," She hiccuped. "Tends to happen from time to time. Welcome to Friends of A Feather. My name is Aria; what can I do for you?"

"We were looking for shelter from the rain," Xera answered.

"Possibly a meal," Powehi interjected.

"And a room," Pluto added.

Aria hiccuped, stared at them for a moment, then laughed.

"You all are funny! Come on in!"

She led them to a table. They ordered their food. After a while, a line of goblins came out with their meals. They ate and drank until they were full. Aria came over and told them the total for the food and room. Xera handed her a few gold coins. Aria took the currency over to the man in black, who accepted with a goofy grin and a thumbs-up.

The rest of the evening passed by uneventfully. There was another performance by Aria, but no fights broke out. Pluto and Powehi shared a room, and Xera had her own.

When they woke in the morning, the inn was quiet. Aria and her friends were gone, but the goblins remained as they tended the bar and kitchen. The trio ate a quick breakfast and then went on their way.

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Following the stone's directions, they continued through Avo's Crossing. As they continued, the clouds darkened like another storm was approaching. The clouds thickened more, hanging lower and lower. Soon, the trio found themselves walking in a thick fog.

Pluto reached out in front of him, hoping to find a friend. Powehi grunted as Pluto latched on to him. He said, "I have Xera here."

The fog thickened and darkened. Pluto clenched his jaw as the darkness blinded him. A dim light shone a few feet in front of him. Xera used the stone as both a light and a compass. The group collided when Xera suddenly stopped. They surrounded her to see why she halted.

Holding the stone above her, it illuminated a sign over an iron gate that read: END. There was an "E" that was hanging off the end of the word.

"What is Ende?" Pluto asked.

"I remember there was a city called Ende that my father took me to when I was young," Xera replied. "It was a beautiful, prosperous place with friendly citizens. If this is the same city, then not only are we on the other side of the planet, but something terrible has happened here."

"Something sure has changed," Powhei commented.

"Changed or not, the stone says this is where we are going, so in we go."

They followed the stone's directions through the city. Skyscrapers rested half in shadow as the stone's light couldn't illuminate their entirety. The entire place was silent. Xera, Powehi, and Pluto's eyes grew wide as they passed by rusted, broken-down vehicles. Large, overflowing dumpsters spewed a rancid stench from every street corner.

The trio froze when a manhole cover opened down the street from where they were. They had to squint when they saw a figure emerge from below. The creature was scrawny with bony arms and legs. Enormous ears protruded from its tiny paltry head. It sniffed around with a long, skinny snout covered in frayed whiskers. The critter began digging through the dumpster's heap of trash.

When the figure spotted something interesting, its tail wagged back and forth. It fondled its treasure while examining it. Without warning, the creature's mood changed. It stood straight up as though struck by lightning. It mindlessly carried the object off into the distance.

Xera dared not follow the creature. Being in proximity to the figure sent goosebumps rippling across her skin.

"Have the people here always looked like that?" Pluto asked.

"N-no," Xera stammered. "I've never seen anything like that. There is something truly evil going on here. The sooner we leave, the better."

The group was on the move again. They traveled down putrid alleyways, crossed empty streets, and moved deeper into the belly of the city until they were completely displaced.

The trio stepped cautiously down a street when they encountered another rat-like creature. They watched it scurry around looking for treasure when a noise suddenly broke the silence. The figure turned to stare at the group. Due to foggy eyes, it sniffed the air for their scent.

The rat-like figure let out a blood-curdling screech towards them. It leaped up into the air and then landed next to them.

The group split up to avoid the creature as it swiped a sharpened claw at them. They rejoined one another on the other side of the street. The critter pursued them as they ran down an alleyway, crashing into refuse littered on each side. Pluto spotted a metal door on the side of a building and shoved it open. He motioned for the others to follow him inside. Once Xera and Powehi were inside, they saw an endless flight of stairs rising through the blackness; the hall was cold and lifeless.

"It's just like when we met," Powehi laughed.

The trio began to ascend when the figure of the rat burst through the door below. It chased the group up the stairs. Their footsteps echoed through the empty hall, as did their pursuer's screeches.

Each level they raced up was monotonous and unchanging. The same rusted handrail spiraled upward with them. The only exception came from the presence of faded, black numbers on the walls of each floor. After Pluto and the others climbed past floor twelve, a sign with a diagonal arrow that read, "Roof Access" replaced the increasing numbers.

“Looks like there is only one way to go,” Pluto mentioned.

Pluto, Xera, and Powehi climbed the final flight of stairs. There was a metal door, identical to the one below. When they went through it, they found themselves on a wide roof. The fog that blanketed the city left the trio in unnatural darkness. Despite the immense obscurity, they saw a speck of dim, orange light.

The door slammed open behind them and silenced any questions that were forming. Their attention was drawn to the creature as it lumbered toward them. In the absence of an escape, the group prepared themselves for a fight.

The rat man sniffed the air in their direction. Before it could move, something distracted the creature. An object illuminated by the stone's light hypnotized it. In a flash, it appeared on top of the item. The creature caressed the object, then walked hypnotically toward the edge of the roof, like the varmint they saw before.

It leaped off the roof with a powerful kick of its legs. It slid down the side of the building and skittered away into the night.