The trip through the portal was unlike anything else Commander had been on. Unlike the journey to the Nether or Loka, this was a very rough ride. Wind blasted Commander’s face, and he could see through the blue walls of the portal. He saw glimpses of things. The images were oddly familiar, but they all looked slightly different. He saw glimpses of Eldertrich, Hilo, and even Vantis, as well as other towns that Commander didn’t recognise. A field of stars existed outside as well.
Commander pivoted his body around and saw Sku hanging onto Scooter for dear life. Right in front of Commander were the compass and the shard of the knife. Pushing himself forward like he was floating in zero gravity, Commander grabbed them. Suddenly, everything turned white, and the cold, hard ground met Commander.
…
Preksak sat in his tower, and reached into a drawer in his desk. Pulling out a photo, it was one of a young man with brown hair and green eyes holding up a fishing rod. He was smiling as he had caught a huge fish.
"I miss you, my son." Preksak said
"Soon, everything will be right." "You will be back in my life."
…
Sku stirred awake. He quickly checked his body to see if he still had his bow. Thankfully, he did. Scooter was now completely knocked out, and not too far in the distance lay Commander. Checking Scooter to see if she was uninjured, she was. Sku moved over to Commander and saw he was OK as well. Lying not far from Commander were the compass and the knife. Sku quickly picked them up, separated them, and tucked them into his pockets. Now that he had established everyone was safe and not hurt, he finally took in his surroundings.
The land around him was vaguely familiar, but something was off about it. Tall pine trees surrounded them, but the ground was coarse and rough. Everything had a slight purple tinge to it. The ground also contained mushrooms growing everywhere, and the dirt was also a dirty purple colour. It was all familiar to Sku, but he couldn’t remember why.
Commander stirred himself awake and rubbed his head.
"Where are we? Are you alright? Is Scooter okay? Where’s the compass?"
"Yes, everyone is fine, and I have it. I think we’re in Kalros. The forest around here looks like the one outside Auru. But it’s different somehow."
Commander stood up and glanced around at the forest. Yes, it does, Commander thought.
‘You’re right, Sku. This is the forest outside of Auru. Why is everything covered in mushrooms and purple?"
Suddenly, the memory came back to Sku.
"It’s the blight."
Commander had a look of panic across his face.
‘The Blight? I thought it had stopped. Are we going to get sick from simply standing here?’
Sku pulled the compass out of his pocket and looked back at Commander.
"Nobody ever died from it, but they got quite ill and were never the same afterwards."
"Oh god, am I going to turn into a walking, talking mushroom?"
"No, but you may have a craving for anchovies that can never be fully satisfied."
"Wait what?"
"Nevermind. The compass brought us here somehow. When the knife connected with it, it must have acted like a universe-hopping device. Both devices are capable of travelling through time and space, but not to other universes. Since Kalros is here, even though it got destroyed by Preksak in our timeline, I believe we are in an alternate reality or timeline. The combination of the compass and the knife must have brought us here."
"A universe where the blight came back. But if we’re in the woods outside Auru, theoretically it still could exist. Could someone or something still be there?"
"I don’t know, but we’ll have to walk there to find out." Grab Scooter."
"It’s time to find out."
…
Scooter was still knocked out cold, forcing Commander and Sku to carry her on a makeshift stretcher made out of their jackets and sticks they found nearby. Travelling through the woods, they saw no animals and heard nothing but their own breathing. It was very unnerving for both men.
"We’re here." Commander said, " But there’s nothing here."
A massive open field was laid out in front of Commander and Sku, with the first greenery they had seen since they had arrived in this reality. Only long, tall grass remained, surrounded by purple pine trees.
We've got to figure out how to get out of here. Give me the compass." Commander said
Sku handed Commander the compass over with the knife, and Commander brought the two together again. Nothing happened.
"Damn it. We’re stuck."
"Commander," Sku whispered. "I think I see people."
Slowly turning around, Commander saw seven figures dressed in white hazmat suits walking towards the three of them. Their facemasks were all black, not allowing Commander to see them. He saw something on their suits that looked distinctly familiar. It was a pickaxe over a vein of diamond ore.
"They’re wearing the logo of Mimiga. Mimiga somehow still exists! This is where the timeline deviated from ours!"
Before Sku could respond, bolts from a taser shot out, causing him to drop Scooter’s stretcher and fall unconscious.
The seven figures in front of Commander were getting much closer. Commander turned around and saw three more approaching behind him.
"Wait! Before you taze me, where is Auru? Why is the blight back? How is Mimiga still alive?"
The closest figure of the three to him said:
"Shut up, kid." "You'll find out in time."
The last thing Commander saw was the butt of a rifle to his face, and then blackness.
..
Commander awoke in a bright, white room with a concrete floor. The brightness of the light from the ceiling was blinding for him as he adjusted to his new surroundings. He felt a massive bump on his forehead. Lying in front of him were clean clothes that were all white, along with some food and what looked to be an ice pack. A small bed with white sheets and a small bedside table lined the right corner of the room, and a TV was on the left side of the room on the wall.
Huh, it’s been a while since I’ve watched cable TV. Commander thought. Is Young and the Restless still on? he thought jokingly.
The door to his room opened up, and a figure walked in. Wearing a lab coat, a man with reddish hair and a beard walked in. He was a tall man, but he had a hunch, causing him to slouch over. Heavy lines of stress and black eye marks lay around his eyes, implying this man hadn’t had a good night's sleep in years.
"Commander 12?" The man asked
"Yes, that’s me." Commander replied.
"Who are you? How are you alive? Why do you mention that the blight still exists?"
"And most importantly," pulling out of his pocket was Preksak’s compass, "how did you get this?"
"It’s a long story… Sorry, what’s your name?"
The man sighed and answered:
"Dafyish"
"Dafyish? The guy from Auru who always left up signs about himself? The funny guy?"
Dafyish registered a look of surprise on his face and had a slight smile spread on his face.
"To be honest, you are the first person to make me smile in years, but it’s been a long time since I’ve been that person." "Times have changed."
Rolling up his sleeves, he sat down on the bed across from Commander. Commander stood up and looked down on Dafyish.
"You’ve mentioned Auru several times. Auru doesn’t exist here. It never did. We kicked them out before they could establish a town."
"So, that’s why Mimiga is still here. But how did the blight come back? Where are my friends?"
"Oh, they’re safe, although your friend Scooter is quite ill. She's severely malnourished, but we’ll have her back on her feet in no time. But she looked like she had been tortured and mistreated. Where the hell did you come from?"
Holding the compass in his hand, Commander reached out to get it back, but Dafyish recoiled when he tried to grab it.
"No, until you answer more questions. Who are you, and how did you get here? How does this work?"
Commander, deciding not to beat around the bush, told the honest truth.
"I come from an alternate reality where Mimiga is just ruins under my town. It doesn’t exist anymore. The blight was only contained to the Third World, not to Char."
"Preksak altered my timeline so that Cryptite died at the Battle of the Spire and I found myself back in my original world of Grimdale, where I’m from. Then I found a dark timeline where he has thousands of slaves and is building another spire for who knows what purpose. It’s like some Days of Future Past-Matrix shite. We managed to escape with that, but not without losing a few friends along the way." Commander said sadly
" I don’t know what the last two things you mentioned are, but Sku mentioned something similar. I think you’re telling the truth. There’s also someone here to see you."
The door opened to the Commander’s room again, and he gasped.
"Hello, Andy. "My pop culture references drive Dafyish insane."
Standing in front of Commander was an older version of himself. He had all-white hair and wore a lab coat similar to Dafyish's. He looked just as tired as Dafyish was.
"We have a lot of catching up to do. And explaining. Where is he? Preksak?
"And is he coming to kill us all?"
…
Commander pivoted his body around and saw Sku hanging onto Scooter for dear life. Right in front of Commander were the compass and the shard of the knife. Pushing himself forward like he was floating in zero gravity, Commander grabbed them. Suddenly, everything turned white, and the cold, hard ground met Commander.
…
Preksak sat in his tower, and reached into a drawer in his desk. Pulling out a photo, it was one of a young man with brown hair and green eyes holding up a fishing rod. He was smiling as he had caught a huge fish.
"I miss you, my son." Preksak said
"Soon, everything will be right." "You will be back in my life."
…
Sku stirred awake. He quickly checked his body to see if he still had his bow. Thankfully, he did. Scooter was now completely knocked out, and not too far in the distance lay Commander. Checking Scooter to see if she was uninjured, she was. Sku moved over to Commander and saw he was OK as well. Lying not far from Commander were the compass and the knife. Sku quickly picked them up, separated them, and tucked them into his pockets. Now that he had established everyone was safe and not hurt, he finally took in his surroundings.
The land around him was vaguely familiar, but something was off about it. Tall pine trees surrounded them, but the ground was coarse and rough. Everything had a slight purple tinge to it. The ground also contained mushrooms growing everywhere, and the dirt was also a dirty purple colour. It was all familiar to Sku, but he couldn’t remember why.
Commander stirred himself awake and rubbed his head.
"Where are we? Are you alright? Is Scooter okay? Where’s the compass?"
"Yes, everyone is fine, and I have it. I think we’re in Kalros. The forest around here looks like the one outside Auru. But it’s different somehow."
Commander stood up and glanced around at the forest. Yes, it does, Commander thought.
‘You’re right, Sku. This is the forest outside of Auru. Why is everything covered in mushrooms and purple?"
Suddenly, the memory came back to Sku.
"It’s the blight."
Commander had a look of panic across his face.
‘The Blight? I thought it had stopped. Are we going to get sick from simply standing here?’
Sku pulled the compass out of his pocket and looked back at Commander.
"Nobody ever died from it, but they got quite ill and were never the same afterwards."
"Oh god, am I going to turn into a walking, talking mushroom?"
"No, but you may have a craving for anchovies that can never be fully satisfied."
"Wait what?"
"Nevermind. The compass brought us here somehow. When the knife connected with it, it must have acted like a universe-hopping device. Both devices are capable of travelling through time and space, but not to other universes. Since Kalros is here, even though it got destroyed by Preksak in our timeline, I believe we are in an alternate reality or timeline. The combination of the compass and the knife must have brought us here."
"A universe where the blight came back. But if we’re in the woods outside Auru, theoretically it still could exist. Could someone or something still be there?"
"I don’t know, but we’ll have to walk there to find out." Grab Scooter."
"It’s time to find out."
…
Scooter was still knocked out cold, forcing Commander and Sku to carry her on a makeshift stretcher made out of their jackets and sticks they found nearby. Travelling through the woods, they saw no animals and heard nothing but their own breathing. It was very unnerving for both men.
"We’re here." Commander said, " But there’s nothing here."
A massive open field was laid out in front of Commander and Sku, with the first greenery they had seen since they had arrived in this reality. Only long, tall grass remained, surrounded by purple pine trees.
We've got to figure out how to get out of here. Give me the compass." Commander said
Sku handed Commander the compass over with the knife, and Commander brought the two together again. Nothing happened.
"Damn it. We’re stuck."
"Commander," Sku whispered. "I think I see people."
Slowly turning around, Commander saw seven figures dressed in white hazmat suits walking towards the three of them. Their facemasks were all black, not allowing Commander to see them. He saw something on their suits that looked distinctly familiar. It was a pickaxe over a vein of diamond ore.
"They’re wearing the logo of Mimiga. Mimiga somehow still exists! This is where the timeline deviated from ours!"
Before Sku could respond, bolts from a taser shot out, causing him to drop Scooter’s stretcher and fall unconscious.
The seven figures in front of Commander were getting much closer. Commander turned around and saw three more approaching behind him.
"Wait! Before you taze me, where is Auru? Why is the blight back? How is Mimiga still alive?"
The closest figure of the three to him said:
"Shut up, kid." "You'll find out in time."
The last thing Commander saw was the butt of a rifle to his face, and then blackness.
..
Commander awoke in a bright, white room with a concrete floor. The brightness of the light from the ceiling was blinding for him as he adjusted to his new surroundings. He felt a massive bump on his forehead. Lying in front of him were clean clothes that were all white, along with some food and what looked to be an ice pack. A small bed with white sheets and a small bedside table lined the right corner of the room, and a TV was on the left side of the room on the wall.
Huh, it’s been a while since I’ve watched cable TV. Commander thought. Is Young and the Restless still on? he thought jokingly.
The door to his room opened up, and a figure walked in. Wearing a lab coat, a man with reddish hair and a beard walked in. He was a tall man, but he had a hunch, causing him to slouch over. Heavy lines of stress and black eye marks lay around his eyes, implying this man hadn’t had a good night's sleep in years.
"Commander 12?" The man asked
"Yes, that’s me." Commander replied.
"Who are you? How are you alive? Why do you mention that the blight still exists?"
"And most importantly," pulling out of his pocket was Preksak’s compass, "how did you get this?"
"It’s a long story… Sorry, what’s your name?"
The man sighed and answered:
"Dafyish"
"Dafyish? The guy from Auru who always left up signs about himself? The funny guy?"
Dafyish registered a look of surprise on his face and had a slight smile spread on his face.
"To be honest, you are the first person to make me smile in years, but it’s been a long time since I’ve been that person." "Times have changed."
Rolling up his sleeves, he sat down on the bed across from Commander. Commander stood up and looked down on Dafyish.
"You’ve mentioned Auru several times. Auru doesn’t exist here. It never did. We kicked them out before they could establish a town."
"So, that’s why Mimiga is still here. But how did the blight come back? Where are my friends?"
"Oh, they’re safe, although your friend Scooter is quite ill. She's severely malnourished, but we’ll have her back on her feet in no time. But she looked like she had been tortured and mistreated. Where the hell did you come from?"
Holding the compass in his hand, Commander reached out to get it back, but Dafyish recoiled when he tried to grab it.
"No, until you answer more questions. Who are you, and how did you get here? How does this work?"
Commander, deciding not to beat around the bush, told the honest truth.
"I come from an alternate reality where Mimiga is just ruins under my town. It doesn’t exist anymore. The blight was only contained to the Third World, not to Char."
"Preksak altered my timeline so that Cryptite died at the Battle of the Spire and I found myself back in my original world of Grimdale, where I’m from. Then I found a dark timeline where he has thousands of slaves and is building another spire for who knows what purpose. It’s like some Days of Future Past-Matrix shite. We managed to escape with that, but not without losing a few friends along the way." Commander said sadly
" I don’t know what the last two things you mentioned are, but Sku mentioned something similar. I think you’re telling the truth. There’s also someone here to see you."
The door opened to the Commander’s room again, and he gasped.
"Hello, Andy. "My pop culture references drive Dafyish insane."
Standing in front of Commander was an older version of himself. He had all-white hair and wore a lab coat similar to Dafyish's. He looked just as tired as Dafyish was.
"We have a lot of catching up to do. And explaining. Where is he? Preksak?
"And is he coming to kill us all?"
…