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pikachu15eevee
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"The Page of Space"
# Statistics
Favourites: 170; Deviations: 66; Watchers: 18
Watching: 17; Pageviews: 10303; Comments Made: 5594; Friends: 17
# Comments
Comments: 441
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The fox looks at him upside down.Β "Thanks.Β Forgive me for not expecting there to be an honest to goodness booby trap in the middle of nowhere."
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He unties the knot, dropping the fox to the ground. "Well, how else am I suppose to catch food and defend home? Not that you're food. The jury's out on threat, though. So I ask again; you aren't from around here are you?"
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"No, I am definitely not from around here." the fox says, picking his laser rifle up from where he'd dropped it.Β "And I have a general rule that stuff that talks is not food."
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"Well, we agree on something right out of the gate. That's a good sign. Care to share where you're from and what you're doing in these humble woods of mine?" He paused, "Damien seVarr. Welcome to the Failsafe Forest."
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"Joseph von Faulkner."Β The fox curtly nods.Β "And I am exploring, to be honest.Β As to where, I'm from... Long story."Β
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"Well, now I know you're from far away." Damien snorts, "No one within a hundred miles is dumb enough to enter these woods with that feeble a reason. Most folk are apprehensive of using the paths; exploring the woods alone is crazy talk."
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"Yeah, I'm starting to see why."Β The fox nods warily and shrugs at the sprung trap.Β
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"Please. Flattering as the notion may be," Damien starts sarcastically, "I am not the reason. I am merely the exception to a rule of cowardice."
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"Fair enough.Β So what's so dangerous in here that warrants all the traps?"Β Joey asks.
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"All sorts of things. Animals, mutated and deformed after the war. Some people too, not that they're in their right minds any more." Damien explains.
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"Which war?"Β Joey asks, completely ignorant of any war on this world.Β "There's been a lot of them.Β You might have to be more specific."
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"The only one anybody here talks about." Damien gives Joey a strange look, "The Worlds' War."
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"When I said I was an explorer, I was not kidding."Β Joey simply says.Β "I'm from very, very far away, if you catch my drift."
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"Oh, I catch your drift alright." Damien shrugs, "I guess you just popped up in the middle of the woods when you got here though, else you'd've noticed that this hunk of rock hasn't got anything attached to it."
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"Oh, I noticed that.Β I was just looking for a good landing site.Β There's a clearing not too far from here where I set my ship down."Β Joey says.Β
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"I see. Then what you still might not know is that you are in the Lanada Nexus. A couple different dimensions cross here. Strategically, when those worlds were at war with each other for some reason that only God knows, it was a highly sought after spot. In the heart of the Failsafe Forest, there's a castle. That castle holds all the power of the Lanada Nexus. Anything else you'd like to know about our history?"
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Joey looks a bit dumbfounded at this. Β "Another dimensional nexus? Β Today is my lucky day... Β Castle you say? Β Do you live there?"
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"Hah! No." Damien laughed, "No one lives there. That's why it's called Failsafe Forest; it stands as the last defense against anyone trying to claim the castle as their own. The trees here are almost sentient- they can tell when someone invades the forest for power. That, along with the other nasty beasts around, keep the castle safe from any one ruler."
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Joey is taken aback a little by this.Β "I think then, you're liable to be having a lot of trouble in the near future.Β I think it's time I was completely honest with you.Β I also came here in pursuit of a gang of criminals.Β Guess I know what they're after now."
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"Well then," Damien shrugs, "Let's get to the castle. Likely, the forest will pick them off, but overconfidence is always punished." He starts walking north, "I'll need to know a little more about these criminals of yours, of course. I also hope they aren't that great at avoiding traps."
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"What kind of traps are we talking about?Β Because these are pretty tricky characters."Β Joey says.Β
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"Oh, the same type of stuff you were caught in. Snares. Deadfalls. Pitfalls. I have stuff all over the forest." Damien answers, "That doesn't tell me anything particular about your criminals, though."
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"Okay.Β Major problem.Β What if they fly over the traps?"Β Joey asks.
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"The forest has it's ways. The Castle itself is overgrown. Even if they can get in, they'll have some trouble taking the throne. That should buy us time to get there. Now stop avoiding me and tell me what you know about these folks."
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"In short, I'm after an archmage, a genie, and a rogue secret agent."Β Joey says bluntly.
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"Well, that'll satisfy me for now." Damien nods, "Not far now. The forest will have shifted to give me a quicker path."
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"I'd feel more comfortable if we took my fighter."Β Joey says.Β "We're going to need some pretty heavy armaments to take these guys on."
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"Go for it. I'll meet you there." Damien shrugs, and keeps walking, "If you really are here to help, then the forest should offer you a quick path to your fighter."
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("May the forest be with you...)
the fox nods and heads back to the fighter.
----
Meanwhile a blue-haired Jackal-genie flies over the forest, grumbling about her master.
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((PFFFFT))
Damien waves him off, then continues on his way.
~~~~
Suddenly, a flurry of vines rise from the treetops and attempt to drag her down, or otherwise impede her.
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The genie teleports out of the way of the initial salvo of vines. "If I ever get out of being a genie, Magnus is a dead man."
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The vines continue to strike at her relentlessly. Beneath her, the forest itself seems to be shifting and moving around, almost as if it were a tile puzzle.
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Petra decides to gain some altitude to try and avoid the vines and continues on a direct line for the castle.
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In the distance, the castle appears to be moving away from her.
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Petra tries to gauge her distance from the castle before doing too much else.Β
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She appears to be about five miles out.
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Petra pauses for a little longer, then tries teleporting to the castle.
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Her teleport hits a barrier about three miles from it. She's closer, but not there.
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Petra frowns.Β Ordinarily, if she can see it, she can teleport to it if it's within about five miles or so.Β She does a series of rapid teleports to see if she can find a weak point in the barrier.
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There appears to be an opening beneath the canopy of the trees. However, her magic feels significantly dampened below.
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Petra decides to chance it by being quick and flying under, compelled by her orders to reach the castle at all costs.Β Intellectually, she realizes this is probably a trap.Β
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Surprisingly, nothing pops out at her, not even when she reaches the exterior of the castle.
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Petra is looking positively paranoid at this point.Β She never has this much good luck.Β Something has got to be wrong.Β She looks around and proceeds extremely cautiously.
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Nothing appears to happen.
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She continues on toward the castle proper, flying by the towers and generally exploring, momentarily seeming to forget her orders in wonder. Β Β
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Still, nothing appears to happen.
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