[IC] Chroniker

[Happy Go Lucky]

-done-

[Lord Santa]

Levi walked in behind the others, being one of the farthest away. Trudging inside, he shrugged off some snow and cautiously basked in the warmth of the fire. Truth be told, he wanted to be as unobtrusive as possible, due to the caution coming from being around strangers who appeared to at least be from different continents. Perhaps he needn't have bothered, however, when the woman who owned the house informed the group of their positions. Levi and everyone else in the room were in a different world, and he was surrounded by people who came from different worlds. And there would be no way back.

"Did you guys here that?" Levi breathed.

Blade warbled gravely and Robin twittered nervously, both as worried as Levi. Perhaps Levi was more so. He certainly wasn't in a hurry to head back to the castle so soon, but it was distressing all the same. Now that he thought about it, though, there wasn't much reason to go back there for a while, but the fact was, he couldn't go back even if he wanted to.

No home means no friends. Levi thought. I want to see them again...

Levi was struck by a sudden, grave memory.

Mother's prophecy. The political situation... What if it all explodes while I'm away? He thought.

His birds must have sensed his distress for they rubbed their bodies on the side of his head to comfort him.

"I'm alright guys, really." He assured them, even though he wasn't.

"Of course, should you choose to take the path of the stones which brought you here, there is a chance you may see home again."

He was broken out of his worried trance when the woman mentioned something interesting. A possible method to go home. Levi weaved through the strangers to the front, offering the occasional polite apology as he pushed through, before coming up in front of the group.

I have to go back. Levi thought.

"Excuse me. Sorry to intrude on your home, but please tell me how to take that path."

His eyes were firm and determined. He would need to go back to his home eventually, and he needed to know how.

[Zealous Blade]

Ellis Nochel

That was just too bad. It didn't look as if Ellis was going to get a blanket like he requested. Oh well, the warmth of the house was all he needed for now. There were other pressing matters that needed tending to. As he became comfortable he inspected his surroundings and those around him more closely than before. It was a strange lot that had gathered at the woman's house. Little did he know that their situation was even stranger.

Good luck getting any directions back to his hometown with whom he had a love-hate relationship. Sure it wasn't the best place in the world, but Chastine was a gold mine for those who made their living in the underworld. The cold was also brutal to someone who had never felt its wrath before. Ellis definitely preferred the heat and had obtained a new found appreciation for the tropics of his origin. He listened as the woman, introduced as Elurra, further explained their predicament and was shocked as to the reason why he could not return to Chastine. It was weird at first but it gradually began to make since as he pieced together his interactions with the others so far.

Of course they're from a different dimension, Ellis thought, not knowing of a place as big as Chastine? They would have to be from another world.

So far Ellis was having mixed emotions about being in a different world. On one hand he was missing out on big opportunities by not being able to scour the port in search of new victims. On another hand there was no telling what other loot he could gather from other worlds if he were to go there. Perhaps taking a vacation from Chastine would be good for him. Maybe he could become rich along the way like he always dreamed.

Then I'll go back and buy the whole place out, Ellis plotted, grinning nefariously. Phasing back into the gathering, Ellis looked up and took his chance to speak his mind. "I'm in no rush to get back home, that's for sure. But, I would rather be somewhere much warmer."

He knew someone else had to share his sentiment. How could anyone stand a torture as wretched as the cold was beyond him.

[pure493]

Felix snorted and his eyes opened.

"God damn, haven't been nicked like that in a while," he mumbled.

There was a fire at the station. He was spending time at the confiscated goods room doing his semi-annual inspection on the paperwork detailing the identity, date of procurement, and case number for each item.

As the fire broke out he remembered grabbing a bracelet and a small multi-colored gem on a pedestal to save them from the approaching blaze.

Then everything went dark, he had a dim memory of ice cold snow and then collapsed.

He felt the hard surface of wood and the warmth of a cozy fire.

"Eh, shite must've been a bad dream. Snow in the middle of August who-," he thought then peered up to the individuals around him.

His eyes widened as he immediately saw the giant walking lizard.

"What the bloody hell!" he sputtered out. He stood up, back against the wall.

[Mokley]

“Don’t suppose you have any idea where it is we should go next to find more of those stones that lead us here, Elurra?” He then returned his focus to their host. “Any help you could provide would be most welcome.”

Celadon

"I have no need to return. But I know I can't stay here." Morrian reasoned. He turned to glance toward their host Elurra. She had his attention.

Morrian

"Hey, if you got nowhere else to go, why not come to my world? I could use a friend or two on my mission! If you don't mind a bit of danger that is!"

Mayonaka

"Excuse me. Sorry to intrude on your home, but please tell me how to take that path." His eyes were firm and determined. He would need to go back to his home eventually, and he needed to know how.

Levi

"I'm in no rush to get back home, that's for sure. But, I would rather be somewhere much warmer."

Ellis

"Eh, shite must've been a bad dream. Snow in the middle of August who-," he thought then peered up to the individuals around him. His eyes widened as he immediately saw the giant walking lizard. "What the bloody hell!" he sputtered out. He stood up, back against the wall.

Felix

Elurra's concerned eyes were drawn to the shouting man -- the one who stared fearfully at Morrian with a terror he had every right to feel -- and she gestured quietly toward the hearth. "You are quite safe, I assure you," she told Felix in a gentle voice. "Please, come warm yourself by the fire. Your home has been left far behind, I am sorry to say." She scanned the faces of the rest of her guests. "But should you all agree to work together . . ."

Her voice trailed off, and she crooked a finger at the little robot at the door.

The robot shut the door, sealing out the chilling winds, and whirred and clicked its way across the floor to stand next to Elurra. She knelt beside the little automaton.

"Keep still, my dear friend. I must borrow your heart."

She took hold of the compass at the robot's chest and turned it with a click. The robot's glowing eyes flickered and went out; its limbs stiffened and the whirring stopped. Elurra pulled out a complicated device that fit in the grip of her hand. It was a messy but beautiful arrangement of little gears and sprockets and springs, secured by encasements of copper and gold. At its center, the needle of the ornate compass pointed steadily toward the closed door.

Elurra stood, and she showed the device to the collected company. "This is called the Chroniker," she explained. "There is nothing else like it in all the universes. It has the capability to transport you to a random world."

Anyone who wished to take a closer look was allowed to do so. There was a wide slot in the top of it, and a permanently fastened turnkey at the side of the compass. Underneath the smooth underside of the Chroniker was a wide button. When pressed, several metallic bands emerged from the device and wrapped around whatever was pressed against it, securing the device in place. A twist of the compass released it.

"But it cannot work on its own. In order to activate it, you must acquire a Vanishing Stone. I trust you all know the stone of which I speak. It will have been the last thing you touched before you arrived here.

"There is only one Vanishing Stone in every world. The compass points the way. When a Stone is placed into the slot and the key turned, you -- and anyone touching you -- will be taken to another world. For those of you who wish to see home again, it is possible that one of those random worlds will be your own."

[Happy Go Lucky]

-done-

[Mokley]

"But wait...!" Mayonaka questioned "Isn't that a big weird? Why would someone make a device you can only power with something that there can only be one of in a world? And how did he manage to get here without the chroniko-thing-ama-jig? I touched a little stone i think and got wisked here! So i didn't need a chronik-ul-thingy! And what if we teleport to a world where the vanishing stone was already used? Then only one of us will get to stay at their home world and we all have to stay in it too! And what if- Nap time...!"

Mayonaka

Elurra smiled warmly, charmed by the little mage. "So many questions! I will answer as simply as I can. The Vanishing Stones and the Chroniker were created together by a wizard called Rook. All of the stones are linked only to the Chroniker, like the spokes of a wheel with the device at its center. Therefore, when you touch a Vanishing Stone you are transported to the location of the Chroniker. But if you were to touch a Vanishing Stone that is already located in the same world as the Chroniker -- the stone in the mountain outside, for example," she gestured to the door, "nothing will happen. In order to leave this world, the stone must be used in unison with the Chroniker, which will take you to another stone in another world. The Vanishing Stone that you leave behind may still be touched by anyone who wishes to follow you -- whether they be friend or foe."

This was another caution regarding the use of the Chroniker in order to escape danger: anyone who picks up the stone will follow the Chroniker wherever it had gone.

[Necrophage]

Morrian stayed by the fire, passing a glance at the exasperated man who had been unconscious but moments ago. That same look of confusion and panic he had seen before. "I'm the least of your worries." Orange-tinted eyes returned to the hearth. "The weather outside is more dangerous than I am." He let out a sigh. The most hostile conditions to bear were waiting outside and he had naught more than a loincloth.

The conversation up until this point was alien. Whatever kind of science or magic took him here was beyond his understanding yet now he knew this was not the will of some iconic god. It was a very real thing. "If we're here now and you speak the truth then our enemies who are bold or knowledgeable enough may follow and regardless of what world we're in, as long as we're with this Chroniker, elements of our own will arrive." Morrian nodded in understanding. "A double-edged sword..." He mused.

The cat-child lay still. Finally!

"If the stone doesn't work here with the Chroniker, does that mean we can retrieve it?" Morrian looks around at the other capable souls. Then he decides. "Yeah. I'm staying here. I'd help you out but this weather is killing me." He yawns and sprawls out next to the fire. "Literally.." The crocodile murmurs under his breath.

[Arty Fox]

Celadon

Celadon tried to repress a chuckle when Mayonaka collapsed upon him. There wasn’t even the smallest doubt in his mind that Mayonaka was indeed a child. One who had just experienced either a sugar rush or realising that there wasn’t really any authority here if Celadon wasn’t mistaken.

“Couldn’t agree more.” Celadon nodded to the reptilian looking person. “Still a bit too snowy out there really, that is if you don’t mind of course Elurra?”

“Although looking at us I think that if anyone meant us harm I think we could handle ourselves.”

At this point he too gently slid into a lying position, very gently so as not too wake up the sleep Mayonaka, trying to get comfortable upon the surprisingly warm floor.

“I suppose we could use the time to get to know each other.” Celadon suggested and looked towards the person backed up against the wall in fright. “Might help relax the mood somewhat as we await the storm to pass us.”
If that’s how time passed anyway considering Elurras previous statement about time not passing whilst they were inside. The statement itself was odd considering that Celadon could hear both his clock ticking away still and the howling window outside trying to sneak in. Maybe he could try to dispel the snow storm with a thunderstorm?

“As I’ve said before I’m Celadon.” He began as nobody else seemed all too enthusiastic just at the moment. “I’m an Ethereal Tiger Fox from Keingry where I’m a guardian and child minder when the parents are busy with the harvest.” Here he did chuckle quietly and flicked his tail absently making the ribbons tied up flutter excitedly.

[Zealous Blade]

Ellis Nochel

Ellis eyes widened upon hearing that it may be possible for enemies to follow him via a Vanishing Stone. It was no secret that he was on bad terms with a lot of people. If someone broke into his home while he was away and found the stone, it was entirely possible they could get on his trail. Darn, it seemed as if he was forever bound to his problems. Not even going to another world could free him of all the trouble he had gotten into during his life.

I haven't been here that long, Ellis thought, rubbing his shoulders as he still tried to warm up. If I dip soon then maybe I can cover my trail better.

The idea was splendid. It didn't seem as if he had any further business in the woman's house other than shelter from the ruthless weather. True, he wasn't in a hurry to go outside given that the frost bite was still gnawing on his toes and fingers, but it was in his best interest to make some progress. He heard a few of the others reveal their intentions of staying within the house. He couldn't blame them but ultimately was unable to join them. It was a shame. The house would have made the perfect spot for a nap.

"Excuse me, miss," Ellis said, addressing the Elurra. "Could you give me an idea of what else there is around here besides that white slush on the ground?"

Okay, so Ellis didn't quite know the proper term for snow just yet. Hopefully she would understand what he meant.

[Mokley]

"If the stone doesn't work here with the Chroniker, does that mean we can retrieve it?" Morrian looks around at the other capable souls. Then he decides. "Yeah. I'm staying here. I'd help you out but this weather is killing me."

Morrian

“As I’ve said before I’m Celadon.” He began as nobody else seemed all too enthusiastic just at the moment. “I’m an Ethereal Tiger Fox from Keingry where I’m a guardian and child minder when the parents are busy with the harvest.”

Celadon

"Excuse me, miss," Ellis said, addressing the Elurra. "Could you give me an idea of what else there is around here besides that white slush on the ground?"

Ellis

Elurra nodded to Morrian with a dip of her head. "You are correct. The stone outside may be touched, handled and kept, and it will have no effect on you at all, if only on its own."

Her eyes turned to Celadon, and she smiled warmly. "This child shall be safe in your care, I am sure," she said, referring to Mayonaka. "And, perhaps, the children you have not yet met."

Ellis' question drew the horned woman's attention, and she watched him curiously for a moment before she replied, "There is only snow, ice and rock outside that door, as far as I am aware. I have not left this room in centuries, and I have had no visitors before you. I promised Rook I would look after the stone, and await the travelers' arrival. That is you."

[Zealous Blade]

Ellis Nochel

Ellis was slightly agitated by Elurra's answer to his question. It provided him with little to no information whatsoever. He was the brightest tool in the shed, but he even he knew better than to venture out into the snow alone. He was antsy, though, and was eager to depart from the frigid peaks as soon as possible. He looked at the other travelers who currently occupied the cabin. He didn't like it one bit but he would be to his benefit to put his trust in them as they were all in the same predicament. He wasn't too keen on setting any allegiances in stone at the moment. He simply intended to follow the path that the majority of them elected to take.

Displaying his displeasure with Elurra's answer, Ellis pressed his back against the wall and folded his arms. If he was going to stay put he was at least going to get comfortable.

"Whenever you're all ready to go," Ellis grumbled, "let me know. I'll tag along."