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lostandundead · 2 years

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Chapter 26: Taking The Tower

They ran.

Faster than any of them ever thought they could. The plan had been scrapped in favor of making a mad dash in the hopes of reaching the chain before being imprisoned, or worse. A few guards had spotted them about a floor down and were now yelling for them to stop.

“Only five floors left!” Macros called, “We can make it!”

They all put everything they had into reaching the top, but the fatigue was beginning to catch up with them. Cass was the first to start slowing down, only three floors from the top with Arctyle falling behind not soon after.

“Guys!” Claudia cried, slowing down as well to reach them, “Grab my hands!”

The other two latched onto her with vice-like grips as she began to practically drag them along.

Two floors left.

Arctyle was tripping over every other step with Cass barely keeping up. Exhaustion soon after becoming apparent on Claudia and Macros.

One floor left.

Cass and Arctyle could no longer keep up and with just a couple flights of stairs left, Claudia and Macros grabbed them both and began to carry them up the stairs. The guards were getting very close by then and their shouts became progressively louder.

“Al-most- there!” Macros barely wheezed out as they climbed the final flight.

With one last burst of energy, he and Claudia carried the other two up to the top floor. They crossed the threshold of the stairwell door and Macros slammed it shut, quickly engaging an alien looking lock system. Just as an affirmative *beep* came from the odd machine, the guards who had previously been chasing them could be heard pounding against the door. The group promptly collapsed in a mixture of relief and exhaustion.

Cass was gasping for air, “I’m… Never… skipping leg day… ever again…”

Macros gave a grunt of approval, still unable to form full sentences.

They all took a moment to catch their breath before Claudia finally spoke.

“Looks like we made it, you guys.” She said, pointing at the crimson red chain just beyond them.

Macros whistled, “This thing’s a lot bigger in person.”

Arctyle began to push himself up, handing a card to Cass, “The time to rest is over, we must destroy the chain before Beaumont arrives.”

The other three stood up as well, following the young prince to the chain. The floor reached up to about ten feet from it, leaving a giant gap between them and their goal.

“How are we supposed to get to it?” Claudia asked.

They all glanced at one another, hoping that one of them had a plan. Unfortunately, it looked like they were all equally stumped.

“Got any magic left in you buddy?” Macros asked Arctyle, nudging him softly.

Arctyle stared at the chain for a moment before edging slightly closer and nodding.

“How about we get a rope or something and then we can figure out how to get him across.” Cass suggested.

They all agreed and split up, hurriedly looking for anything they could use as a rope of sorts.

“I found something!” Macros called, running over with what looked like a long electrical cord.

He began to tie it around Arctyle and Claudia handed him her sword.

“Are you sure you want to do this?” Cass asked.

Arctyle nodded, tightening his grip on the sword and turning to face the chain.

Macros clapped him on the back, “Good luck buddy.”

Another nod and he stepped back before taking a running leap at the chain. After a moment of focus, he managed to boost himself just enough to grab onto one of the links. Cass and Claudia cheered as he got a grip on the link and Macros just sighed in relief. Arctyle gave them a thumbs up and held up the sword, preparing to break the chain.

“Wait,” Claudia said before he could swing, “I can’t hear the guards anymore.”

At that moment, Arctyle swung the sword down in a crushing blow.

Or rather, what would’ve been.

He cried out in surprise as the sword was knocked out of his hand and it hit the floor.

“ARCTYLE!” Cass yelled, drawing everyone’s attention back to the prince clinging to the chain for dear life.

“Always so predictable, you royals.”

They all turned to look at a section of the floor which opened, raising up a platform. On the platform stood a figure with rabbit ears and antlers. They wore a sleeveless tuxedo with a white shirt underneath and black and gray striped pants.

“Can’t believe how easy it was to get you all here.” They said, chuckling darkly, “Although, having a little help on the inside definitely helped.” they turned to Macros, “Good job my boy, you did better than I could’ve hoped.”

“Can it Beaumont,” Macros countered, “we had a deal, let my friends go and don’t hurt these three.”

“That’s Beaumont?!” Cass asked.

Claudia blew right past that fact though, immediately turning on Macros, “What did you do?”

He turned to her, “I made sure you three would be safe.”

“On the contrary my friend,” Beaumont said, “I said the two humans would be spared, I said nothing about the little prince.”

“You said you’d protect all of them!” Macros cried angrily.

Beaumont feigned ignorance, “Oh, silly me, I guess I forgot Arctyle was in this little rebel group.”

“You lied to me!”

He just waved a dismissive hand, “Oh please, you really thought I’d let the prince of the Fantasy Realm remain free and unharmed? He’s easily at the top of Jester’s most wanted list. Even if I promised to keep him safe, I could never promise she wouldn’t get ahold of him.” he turned to Claudia, “And as for you, it really should’ve been easy to tell that he wasn’t on your side. I mean, the fact that he knew how to disable the power, was able to use the security system, and the guards never caught you. They’re some of the strongest soldiers in my army, they could’ve easily caught you. I just wanted you to bring Arctyle to me.” he grinned, “Which you did remarkably well.”

“Macros you traitor!” Claudia fumed.

Macros began to look distressed, “Claudia please! I promise I only had your safety in mind! He promised that if I turned you guys in, he wouldn’t have you imprisoned or anything worse. I just wanted to keep you-”

She cut him off, “Safe?! You handed us over to a maniac from another dimension! How could you do this to us?!” she began to tear up, “I trusted you!”

They were all silent for a moment before Beaumont spoke up.

“As entertaining as this whole display is, I have things to attend to.” He said, snapping his fingers, “I hope you enjoy my parting gift however.”

Another trap door opened up and he hopped on the chain which had begun to sink into the ground, taking him and Arctyle with it.

“No!” Cass shouted, watching in horror as they fell farther and farther away.

“I think we have a bigger problem right now!” Macros called, pointing towards the trap door.

A large creature began crawling its way out. It had a long reptilian body covered in poker chips and two wings made of cards. Where its eyes should’ve been, there were two 6-sided dice that spun rapidly before seeming to focus on them.

“Because of course it’s a dragon.” Claudia shouted in annoyance, wrenching her sword from the ground, “Cass, go after Arctyle, I’ll deal with this thing.”

She nodded and, using the rope previously attached to Arctyle, managed to swing across the gap and onto the chain.

“What about me?” Macros asked.

“You’re bait.” Claudia said with a wicked grin.

#fantasy meets reality #fmr #arctyle checkers #claudia montes #cassandra davenport #macros rosales #beaumont roseberg

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lostandundead · 2 years

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Chapter 25: Light It Up

No one had ever seen New Katazonia shine as bright as it did that night. Residents lined the streets as a parade came down, all covered with stars from the sky. Candy and treats were thrown into the crowd as the people on the floats performed. The people were enthralled to the point that they didn’t notice four strangers moving towards the poorer districts. Macros managed to get his hands on black clothing so that they could blend into the night better. They all only had one shot at completing this mission, with failure meaning incarceration for all of them.

The guards facing the district were laid back if not bored out of their minds. They wanted to participate in the night’s festivities yet with the wanted strangers in the city’s perimeters, they had to stand guard for the rest of the night.

“This kinda sucks, Y’know?” One guard stated, “We are forced to stay here while everyone else is partying up.”

“You know the orders: Look out for the fugitives. They will try to break the chain.” Another guard responded.

“No one comes through this entrance. My stars, I doubt that this door is capable of being opened due to how long it has been!”

“Why do you have to do things the hard way?”

“Because at least I have something to do. Here I just stand around and do nothing!”

Before the other guard could respond, a tranquilizer dart hit them in the shoulder, causing him to pass out on the spot. The first guard barely had time to react before they too were knocked out. Apparently, their bickering allowed Macros to get close enough to knock them out with a tranquilizer that Arctyle enchanted for him. Taking the keys that would grant them access to the tower, he unlocked the door and pushed it open with a bit of effort.

“We need to hurry. I am not sure how long they will stay knocked out.” Macros muttered as they rushed through the doorway.

The tower was clean and refined yet still held a lingering sense of dread. The guards inside the tower marched down the hall and lasers blocked off the stairways. It was clear that no one would be able to make it up to the top floor that easily. Nonetheless, difficult did not mean impossible.

“So what is your idea for getting past the lasers?” Claudia snarked.

“If I can remember, there is an electric box on this floor. If we can shut off, then we can sneak up the stairs.” He responded, “However, I needed someone to come with me to keep watch as I take care of that.”

Everyone stayed silent until Claudia spoke up.

“Fine! I’ll go!”

“Alrighty then. Cass, you stay with Arctyle. We will be right back.”

Cass simply nodded as she held Arctyle’s hand, allowing Claudia and Macros to sneak past the guards. Unlike the ones outside, they were much more vigilant and active. Nonetheless, the duo managed to make it pass them, eventually reaching an electric box at the end of one of the halls. Macros pulled the small door and examined the contents.

“I think I can figure this out,” Macros stated, “Just keep watch.”

“You don’t need to tell me again.”

“Claudia, I know that you don’t trust me or like me. I am sorry for what happened in the past.”

“Do you know what you are even talking about?”

“Yes, I do. I hung out with the wrong kind of people, got you into trouble, and didn’t say anything about it.”

“And it took you this long to realize?”

“No, I have known for a couple of years, specifically after you stopped visiting. Afterwards, I stopped surrounding myself with people like those guys and actively tried to return everything they stole.”

“Are you trying to convince me to forgive you for all that has happened?”

“No, I do not need forgiveness. In fact, I don’t expect you to forgive me. All I want you to know is that I am apologizing for all that has happened, that I regret it all, that I have changed from the person I was when I was younger. What I am trying to say is that I’m sorry.”

They were both enveloped in silence, none of them wanting to say another thing. Claudia was not the type of person to forgive and forget and she still bore some resentment. Despite this, she was at least consoled by the fact that Macros acknowledged his mistake and that he has changed a bit, even if it was just a little. She still needed time to think it through though.

Macros clicked several buttons in the electrical box before flipping a switch. From where she was standing, Claudia could hear the sound of a laser turning off and the lights flickering. Macros then moved away from the box and nodded at Claudia. They both knew what would come next. Leaving the box behind, they snuck past the guards, who were panicking over the total shutdown of the security system. Before long, they managed to meet back up with Cass and Arctyle, who both hid behind a crate while the two were gone.

“Okay, the security system is down but we only have a limited amount of time before the guards turn back on.” Marcos quickly recounted, “Come on! We need to go!”

Sneakily running down the halls, they scrambled up the stairs, making sure that zero noise was made. The guards were two distracted by the shutdown to even notice them. Macros and Claudia led the charge while Cass and Arctyle lagged behind. Based on the map and model in Macros’ base, the tower had 30 floors not including the basement. It was only a matter of time when suddenly…

BEEP!

A battalion of lasers struck Arctyle, who was last in line. Due to the lasers literally being light, it did not harm yet…

SCREECH!

The alarm blared as the speaker crackled.

“ATTENTION! ATTENTION! INTRUDERS LOCATED ON THE TENTH FLOOR! I REPEAT! INTRUDERS ON THE TENTH FLOOR!”

#fantasy meets reality #fmr #arctyle checkers #cassandra davenport #claudia montes #macros rosales

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lostandundead · 2 years

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Chapter 24: The Rebellion

Claudia spread a map of Katazonia across the table, “Alright you two, we need a plan. We can’t just run in this time.”

Cass nodded, “First, we need to figure out how bad the security is around the tower, then we can start planning.”

“How do we plan to figure that out?” Arctyle asked.

“If you asked for help, that might be easier.”

They all turned to see Macros walk into the room, still wearing PJ’s and holding a cup of coffee.

“We’ve got this.” Claudia responded curtly.

“He knows the most about the city though.” Cass said, giving Claudia a confused look.

Claudia obviously didn’t like being challenged on her decision and grabbed Cass’s hand, “A word please?”

Cass looked to Macros and Arctyle for help but they just shrugged as she was dragged off by her wife. While those two were talking, Arctyle turned to Macros and handed him a card.

“You said you knew about the guards around the tower?” It said.

Macros read it and nodded, “Yup, I’ve tried to break into that place more times than I care to remember and I know it like the back of my hand by now. I’ve actually got maps and the shift schedules for the guards.”

With that, he walked over to a barrel full of large rolls of paper and rummaged around in it before pulling out one of the rolls. He walked back to the table and spread out the map. In the center was the layout of the castle surrounded by hundreds of tiny dots in little clusters. On the side of the paper were 10 sets of times and their assigned guard faction.

“Beaumont does a good job at making sure his little tower is nearly impenetrable.” Macros gave Arctyle a mischievous look, “the key word is nearly.” he pointed at one of the clusters of dots, “The group of guards back here are usually much more relaxed compared to the other groups. Since they’re at the entrance facing the poor district, they don’t exactly expect anyone from there. That’s where we’ll make our entrance. There’s two plans of action here. Number one is that we’ll take out four of the guards going to take this group's place and then pretend to be said guards. Plan two is to just sneak in during the switch.

“It’s gonna be tight but if we play our cards right, we’ll be able to pull this off hopefully without any problems. Now all we need to do is convince my cous’ that I’m not gonna’ sabotage this or betray you guys.”

“Why doesn’t she trust you?” Arctyle asked.

Macros hesitated slightly before answering, “We… Had a disagreement when we were much younger. I lied to her about something and she hasn’t forgiven me yet. I just wish I’d told her the truth I guess, it would’ve made things a lot easier.”

Arctyle just nodded, looking back at the map. His wordless sign of understanding seeming to make Macros more relaxed. They both sat in silence after that, analyzing the map while they waited for the other two to come back.

----------

“Claudia, why are you being so rude to him?” Cass began, folding her arms with an annoyed look.

Claudia sighed and ran her hands through her hair, “It’s- I don’t know, it’s just… Complicated, I guess.”

“Well then uncomplicate it and help me understand why you’re so mean to your own family!” It was quite obvious this was something that was bugging her.

“Alright, alright.” Cass said, “I understand why you want to know.” she thought for a moment, “I guess it started back when I was in my early teens. Macros and I weren’t exactly close but I still know him fairly well. That was until he started getting into… Interesting groups. He got with a lot of really sketchy people. They even got into trouble with the law a couple of times. It worried me but never enough to get involved. That was until his ‘friends’ started coming to hang out over at his house. I used to spend a lot of time at his house since my parents were busy and needed me to stay somewhere.

“When his ‘friends’ started coming over, they brought their trouble with them. Nothing was too bad at first, just nabbing a couple things here and there. Then it started getting worse. They’d make huge messes around the house and I’d get in trouble for it, they started stealing more expensive things, all sorts of stuff. I tried telling Macros to cut them off and kick them out but he didn’t want to lose people he thought were cool. Eventually, I gave up on trying to help him and just convinced my parents to let me stay with someone else. Macros and I didn’t speak after that, but I never forgot how nervous I felt whenever I saw him. I guess the point I’m trying to make is that I don’t know if he’s changed yet and I don’t want something to happen to you guys.”

Cass looked shocked, “Oh my gosh…” she shook her head and gave Claudia a hug, “Claudia, I’m so sorry, I should’ve trusted you.”

Claudia returned the hug, “It’s alright, you had every right to be confused. I’m sorry I didn’t tell you earlier.”

“Well,” Cass responded, breaking away from the hug to look at Claudia, “now that that’s settled, ready to go see how the boys are doing?”

“I think I could manage that.”

They walked back into the room where Macros was halfway done with constructing a perfect model of Beaumont’s tower. He was telling Arctyle everything he knew about the tower while reading some of the cards the small prince handed him. He then proceeded to move several small guards away from an entrance.

“Tonight, at exactly 8:00 P.M, a huge celebration is planned to take place. During that period of time, we can sneak into the tower, breaking the chain for good.” Macros concluded.

“And why would they be holding a celebration?” Claudia questioned.

Macros jumped at the sudden interruption before composing himself again, “Apparently, it’s a holiday of sorts. Not exactly sure what it is about but either way, it would be the best time to strike.”

“And are you absolutely sure that we can make it past the guards or any security systems that the tower may hold?”

Macros sighed, “Claudia, I know we have been distant but please trust me this once. I just want to put a stop to this.”

Claudia looked at Cass, who was staring at the map, before staring at him cynically, finally sighing as well, “Okay then, what do we need to pull this off?”

And with that, the wheels of destiny have been put into motion.

#fantasy meets reality #fmr #claudia montes #cassandra davenport #arctyle checkers #macros rosales #we're back bitches

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lostandundead · 2 years

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So sorry for the hiatus, I've been experiencing some major writers block and with our system of writing where each of us writes every other chapter, Undead wasn't able to continue it until I got the motivation. I'm hoping I don't end up with another bout of unproductivity but we can only speculate.

On that note, we have two new chapters for anyone still checking on this blog, hope you enjoy them :)

-Mod Lost

#not writing

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lostandundead · 3 years

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Chapter 23: Macros Rosales in New Katazonia

Macros led the three down an alleyway that eventually led to what seemed to be an abandoned warehouse. Opening what seemed to be a window, he hopped inside, the others following behind. There were several large shipping containers of varying colors. From what they could see, it seemed like one of them had been turned into a bedroom of sorts while another seemed to contain supplies.

They stopped in front of a blue shipping container, to which Macros opened the doors. Inside were two mattresses along with a small wooden desk and a drawer. It was also as if it was prepared in the case that someone else came.

“Make yourselves at home.” He casually stated, “With those wanted posters up, it will be a while until Ya’ get out.”

“You saw that?!” Claudia fumed, obviously upset with that revelation.

“Listen, there are screens in every part of the city. It would be impossible for anyone to miss it!”

“Why I outta-!”

“Calm down everyone.” Cass stated, “I know we have a lot of questions, so we might as well answer them now.”

“I agree with her!” Macros proclaimed, “I honestly wanna know what ya’ did to get who is practically ruler of this place after ya.”

“Well I wanna know how this ‘New Katazonia’ came to be in the first place!” Claudia retorted.

“Then how about this? We take turns asking the other a question and they have to answer it truthfully. Deal?”

“Deal!”

The warehouse was silent for a few minutes, no one in the room knew what to say or where to start. Eventually, Macros broke the silence.

“So… I guess I will start. Why are ya’ three wanted? Ya don’t seem like the type to do anything bad.”

Claudia sighed, “Long story short, we teamed with Arctyle and an old fungus wizard, broke two chains which basically overthrew the leaders of the area, and now we are trying to destroy the other chains because a megalomaniac clown wants to combine the real world with the fantasy realm.”

“… Sounds fake but okay.” Marcos joked.

“Well, what about you? What happened here and what are you doing here?”

Macros’ expression suddenly changed from a smirk to one of sorrow as he looked down at his shoes.

“I came to Las Vegas with two of my friends for vacation. We were hoping to celebrate one of their birthdays here. The day after the birthday party, we all walked down the strip, debating on where to eat. Suddenly, seven brightly colored chains appeared, one of them just nearby us.

“The next thing I heard was screaming. People were running down the streets in fear, as if they were trying to get away from something. I didn’t realize what it was they were running from until I caught a glimpse of them. Strange creatures that seem like something you would see from a fairytale. I didn’t know what to do.

“My friends, being as bold as they were, attempted to fight against one of them together. I warned them that they should get away and how we didn’t know what they were capable of. They went on ahead anyways. They both managed to land a punch and kick on them. However, they didn’t even flinch at all. That was when I realized that we couldn’t defeat them. We couldn’t hurt them. We couldn’t even fight back.

“The same creature got a hold of one of my friends and dragged him away. My friend looked at us and shouted at us to get away as fast as we could. Hearing this, I quickly ran to my other friend, grabbed him by the arm, and ran with him, away from the creature. We went through the streets, the creatures chasing us along the way, an announcement blaring through the streets.

“The person behind it said, “Greetings, humans of the real world. I am the queen of the fantasy realm, Jester Acehearts! If you are wondering what is happening, don’t worry! No harm will come to you… well, at least most of you. We will not tolerate anyone standing in our way! Those who do will be taken care of. Please do not retaliate and accept this new era. My seven generals will make sure everything is in line and that their assigned area prospers. That's it for now. Welcome to the new age!

“We kept on running. Real world? Fantasy realm? None of it made any sense. Eventually, we reached a stone wall and with a boost from my friend, I managed to get over it. I grabbed his hands and attempted to pull him over the wall as well. However, the creatures caught up to us, ran towards us and grabbed him by the legs. I held on as I already lost one friend and I wasn’t about to lose another.

“We spent several minutes playing tug-of-war when he looked at me and told me to ‘stay safe and don’t worry about me’. Then… he let go.

“I fell to the ground, forcing myself up as I heard him getting dragged away. I needed to leave the area before I possibly got captured too. Soon, I found this place and set up a base here. From what I learned, anyone who fought back or retaliated against this so-called ‘Jester Acehearts’ were incarcerated for a certain amount of time while the others either became citizens of New Katazonia and other cities around the globe or joined her cause. Honestly, I am not sure if this is the same everywhere.

“The reason why I am not a citizen is because I actively try to break people out and mess with any tools or machines that they might be using. I just want my friends and family back. I admit that the world isn’t perfect but it’s better than being invaded by another world we didn’t know existed whose ruler would eliminate anyone who stood against them. So yeah, that is my story.”

The room was silent for a minute. The atmosphere was heavy and uncomfortable. No one knew what to say. No one but Claudia.

“I am sorry for your loss.” She stated, “I didn’t know-“

“Don’t worry about it.” He interrupted, “I think I said too much and need a break. If you need me, I will be in the red shipping container. There is food and supplies in the green one. Take some time to rest, okay?”

And with that, Marcos Rosales left the three alone.

#fmr #fantasy meets reality #macros rosales #claudia montes #cassandra davenport #arctyle checkers #Ahaha time for angst

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lostandundead · 3 years

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Chapter 22: A Diamond In The Rough

The first thing they noticed was the city.

It looked like the whole thing had been covered in glitter and had a spotlight aimed right at it. Arctyle was completely enamored by the “City made of stars” and Cass and Claudia had to admit it was indeed very beautiful. They started making their way towards the city, hoping to reach it before the sun rose and brought with it its unbearable heat. Thankfully the portal hadn’t dropped them too far away and the walk didn’t take as long as they thought it would. When they finally reached the city, they realized something odd about it. Instead of fading into the sand the farther it got into the sand, the roads just suddenly stopped like they had been chopped off.

“Well that’s weird…” Claudia mumbled, kicking some sand onto the road.

“We’ll think about that later,” Cass said, “for now we need to figure out where we’re going.”

They began walking towards the road before Arctyle reached out to stop them.

“What’s up?” Cass asked.

Arctyle just reached out a hand which emitted a soft grey light. After a moment, something that hadn’t been there before appeared before them. It almost looked like a bubble that extended over and around the entire city. Colorful splotches of light swirled around on the surface of the bubble and occasionally crackled, spitting out a spark of electricity.

Arctyle handed them a card, “I’ve never seen a shield this big. Someone really wants to keep us out of there.”

“Well then how do we get in?” Claudia asked.

Arctyle just shrugged, obviously as at a loss as the other two.

“Great.” She grumbled.

They started scanning the outside of the shield, looking for any spots where it was weakest. Unfortunately, it didn't look like there was any way in.

“How are we supposed to destroy that chain if we can’t even get to it?!” Claudia cried.

They were all silent for a while. None of them had any idea what to do or how to even move on with their journey.

“Any ideas yet?” Cass asked hopefully.

“I’ve got nothing.” Claudia responded.

“Great.” Cass muttered, falling over onto her back, “We’re stuck in the middle of the desert and our only options are to wait for an opening or admit defeat and just go home.”

This seemed to spark something in Arctyle. He jumped to his feet and began pacing back and forth before the shield, muttering something in another language.

“What’s up?” Cass asked.

After a moment he handed her a card and then continued pacing, “I’m wondering if I’d be able to break the shield if I used enough power. I know strong magic users are able to tear down energy shields so if I try hard enough, there’s a chance I could at least open a hole for us to get through.”

Cass was worried, “Are you sure that’s safe?”

Arctyle didn’t respond.

“We can find another way,” Claudia said, “there’s gotta be some sort of entrance.”

He just ignored them and held out his hands to the barrier. More grey tinted light stretched from where his hands met the solidified energy. He closed his eyes and started pouring all his energy into the shield. The area underneath the grey light began to sputter and fade, the energy holding it up beginning to decay under the powerful magic.

“It’s working.” Cass whispered, staring in awe.

As if the universe vowed to prove her wrong, the grey light also began to fade and die. Arctyle noticed this and began forcing more power through into the light. For a moment, it looked like he would fail, but he just barely pushed through and the shield cracked and finally broke. A small chunk of it was now just a gaping hole. It was just big enough for all of them to fit through if they squeezed. Once the barrier broke, Arctyle stumbled slightly before grabbing onto Cass’s arm for support.

“Woah…” Claudia whispered, staring at the jagged hole in surprise, “You’ve got a lot of power, that’s for sure.”

Arctyle just nodded and let go of Cass, swaying a bit before finding his balance. He motioned towards the hole and the other two got the message following him through. When they made it through, they finally got to see how bright the city really was. It was momentarily blinding. Every surface glittered and reflected any nearby light. There were billboards all over the streets, advertising all sorts of things, both familiar and almost alien looking. Unfortunately though, their sight seeing was interrupted by a loud beep coming from a speaker attached to a nearby electrical post.

“Attention denizens of New Katazonia,” A crackly voice began, “a group of fugitives have been detected entering the city illegally. Pictures of the accused persons will be displayed to all public screens. Please turn your attention to the nearest screen as we will now be displaying the pictures. Refusing to turn in the convicted persons will result in immediate incarceration. Please stay safe and have a prosperous day.”

The speaker crackled off and Cass, Claudia, and Arctyle turned to look at one of the nearby billboards that changed from an ad about dish soap to a sort of wanted poster. There were three faces shown over a red background including instructions on what to do if they were found.

“Of course we’re already criminals…” Claudia muttered, glaring at the screen.

On the screen were pictures of all three of them in startling detail. There was no way any of them would be able to get out of trouble if they were found.

“How are we gonna’ get to the chain now if the whole city is looking for us?!” Cass asked, growing more distressed by the moment.

“Hey!” Claudia said, rushing over to comfort her, “It’ll be alright. I’m sure there’s some way we can get to the chain.”

“You sure about that?”

The three of them turned to see someone leaning against the wall of a nearby alleyway. They were opening and closing a lighter absentmindedly as they looked at the trio, seeming to analyze all of them. After a moment they shoved the lighter in their pocket and began to walk towards the three.

“Gotta’ say,” They began, “I’m pretty surprised to see ya’ here.”

They were looking right at Claudia who looked confused but as a flicker of recognition passed her face, it changed to a look of annoyance.

“Can’t say it’s much of a good surprise.” She spat.

“Claudia?” Cass asked, glancing between her and the new person.

After a moment of heated glaring, Claudia sighed, “Macros, meet my wife Claudia and our friend Arctyle. Arctyle, Claudia, meet Macros, my cousin.”

#claudia montes #cassandra davenport #arctyle checkers #fmr #fantasy meets reality #Ay yo new character dropped #macros rosales

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lostandundead · 3 years

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Chapter 21: Beautiful Lies And Ugly Truths

After several minutes had passed for DJ to process it, Fungirius flipped the switch back on. Instantly, a loading screen popped up into their screen, with the bar slowly filling up. Once full, DJ’s pixelated face appeared on the screen back again as they jolted upwards. Looking around, they took in their surroundings, obviously getting more and more confused by the minute. They eventually landed their eyes on Arctyle, and with a low voice, they whispered:

“Arctyle? Is that you?”

Tears flowing from his eyes, Arctyle quickly tackled DJ in a hug, holding them tightly as if he were to let them go, they would be gone forever.

“I missed you too!” DJ chuckled, “but seriously, where are we and who are all these people. I obviously know Fungirius but who are the other two?”

“….We are in the real world and the one with the ponytail is Claudia and the other one is Cass.”

DJ took a minute to process this before screaming, “OH MY STARS, WE HAVE JUST BROKEN ONE OF THE BIGGEST RULES OF THE FANTASY REALM!”

“You… don’t remember how you got here?” Cass asked calmly.

“NO? I DON’T REMEMBER ANYTHING ABOUT COMING HERE!”

So they don’t remember the invasion of Earth, Arctyle thought. And they most likely don’t remember the battle we had over the chain. I can just be honest with them and tell them what happened, but if I do, they would most likely never forgive themselves. If I lie about it, there is a possibility that they would find out and they would be devastated. What should I do?

Meanwhile, DJ is getting more confused and scared as the seconds ticked by. Cass and Fungirius were attempting to calm them down while Claudia was making sure they didn’t fall off the bed. Eventually, he had to intervene, and he did.

“Jester caused all of this.” Arctyle spoke in fantastical, turning heads towards him, “She wanted to fuse the real world with the fantasy realm, but she didn’t have the power to do it, so she decided to eliminate me as a factor by throwing me into the real world.”

“She did WHAT?!” DJ yelled, shocked at this revelation.

“In order to continue on with her plan, she opened seven portals, each connected by a chain. Each of these chains had a person assigned to protect them. I am guessing you must’ve gotten near one of these portals in the fantasy realm and you fell into it. With the height you fell from, it would explain all the dents and scrapes on your body.”

“So, I am guessing that you found me near one of those chains, right?”

“Yes. Me, Cass, and Claudia were destroying the second chain when we found you lying on the ground. We then decided to bring you here to Fungirius’ place so you can rest up, though it will take a while.”

“Oh. I guess that makes sense. I really should have saved during the invasion.”

“Don’t worry about it. Everything will be okay.”

“Okay?! There are still chains in the sky and we have to get rid of them if we want to stop Jester!”

“But you are badly hurt! You would fall apart by the time we get to the chain! You need to rest!”

“I’ll be fine! You go on ahead and I will rest. Once I am all repaired, I will join you, okay?”

“Okay. I am guessing this is goodbye.”

“How about see you later?”

“That sounds better. I will see you soon.”

“Me too.”

Waving goodbye to DJ, he gestured to Cass and Claudia to follow him. However, before they left the room, he quickly whispered to Fungirius, telling him to “spare them from the truth” before saying goodbye to him. Once the trio were outside in the lawn, Claudia broke the silence.

“What did you say to DJ?” She asked him.

“I told them a beautiful lie rather than a very ugly truth.” He replied.

“What?! Why would you lie to them?! Wouldn’t they find out eventually?”

“If I just told them to their face that they were partially responsible for an invasion, flipping upside down a monument, and hurting us, they would never forgive themselves and I can’t bear to see them like that!”

“But it’s better to be honest to them right now than face the consequences of them finding out down the road.”

Cass, who was watching this argument go, snapped her fingers before saying, “How about we focus on destroying the next chain right now and then consider our next move with DJ?”

Sighing, Arctyle pulled out the bag containing the dust and began to make a quick circle around them, chanting the same words he did last time. Instantly, all three of them fell into the portal and traveled through a yellow tunnel this time. It only took a few minutes until the color changed from a golden yellow to a vibrant red. Seeing the opening of the tunnel once, they braced themselves for impact.

Falling from the sky once more, they noticed that the ground seemed to be dry and sandy like the desert but instead had plants and wildlife scattered around it. Looking up Claudia saw a bright and lively city full of color. Nearby was a sign boldly proclaiming: WELCOME TO LAS VEGAS.

However, the brightest thing in the sky at that moment in time was a deep red chain.

—————————————————

A scout quickly rushed into the office, clutching on several photos and reports to give to the man himself. Mr. Beaumont Roseberg was signing several forms and making sure that everything was in check. Once the scout arrived in his office, however, he stopped immediately.

“What brings you here at this time?” He asked.

The scout quickly pulled out several photos and handed them to him, “As you know, the yellow chain was recently destroyed. However, DJ managed to take photos of the attackers and sent them to every general that remained. There are also reports that these same people have been seen outside of the city.”

Beaumont looked at the photos before stating, “Put up an announcement. Put a bounty on their heads. Make sure everyone in this city is aware of their presence. Neither the chain nor I are going down easily.”

#fmr #fantasy meets reality #dj mixter #arctyle checkers #claudia montes #cassandra davenport #beaumont roseberg

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lostandundead · 3 years

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Chapter 20: Losing Always Hurts

Arctyle was pacing back and forth, wringing his hands out as he waited for Fungirius to come back out of the room.

“Arctyle it’s gonna’ be alright.” Cass said, just as worried but hiding it better.

He made a distressed noise and continued pacing. Eventually, Fungirius left the room and gave them all a sad look.

“I’m not exactly excited to inform you that it doesn’t look good.” He said, “At least it doesn’t seem to have gotten any important information but we’re still going to need to…” he sighed shakilly, “We’ll need to reset them. And I’m not sure when the last time they saved was.”

Arctyle said nothing and just stared at Fungirius, a look of horror in his eyes.

“They should’ve saved recently if they took any of my advice but knowing them…" He trailed off.

Arctyle stormed past him into the room where DJ was and slammed the door shut, obviously wanting to be alone.

Cass sighed, "I can't believe this happened. I knew Jester was messed up but this…"

Fungirius nodded, "It's sad what power does to people."

"Is there anything we can do?" Claudia asked.

"Leave Arctyle to process and once he's done, reset DJ before the virus does any more damage."

“Well that sounds dangerous.” Claudia muttered.

“It is. Depending on how long ago DJ saved, all their memories and knowledge from that point forward will be wiped.”

They all sat in silence as the gravity of the situation began to set in.

Meanwhile, Arctyle was in a similar state of distress.

He’d given up trying to wake them up and was now just holding DJ’s hand and trying to hold back tears. He knew that soon enough, Fungirius would reset them soon and every bit of him was praying that DJ had saved recently.

"Can't believe you let her do that you idiot…" He muttered in fantastical, "You were supposed to be too strong to get hurt…"

After a moment of staring at the blank screen that once held the jumpy pixels of his friends face, he sighed and stood up. He opened the door, motioning for Fungirius to come in and then returned to his seat.

"Are you ready?" Fungirius asked quietly.

Arctyle nodded hesitantly and then watched as the wizard popped open a panel in DJ's chest. Inside was an assortment of wires and devices powered by magical energy that in turn powered DJ. Nestled right in the center was a switch labeled 'on' and 'off'.

“Here we go…” Fungirius mumbled before flicking the switch.

And just like that, everything that hadn’t been saved was wiped.

#fmr #fantasy meets reality #arctyle checkers #fungirius the wizard #dj mixter #claudia montes #cassandra davenport

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lostandundead · 3 years

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Little update on the ask thing

The current plan is to move over to another blog made specifically for FMR asks/ask the character events. I'm gonna ask Frog what she thinks and we shall return with (hopefully) an answer :)

#not writing #mod lost

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lostandundead · 3 years

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(Kid!Anon)

Is that so? Why don't you just do whatever else you want? Nobody could stop you from just... not being a jester.

[Text ID]

Jester: It isn't that easy. This is my part in the world, the thing I'm born to do. I can't just skip out on it. Thanks for trying to make me feel better, but that won't exactly work.

#asks #kid!anon #not writing #mod lost

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lostandundead · 3 years

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(Kid!Anon)

Oh, that's nice. Clouds are pretty relaxing.

Say, why do you want to be a jester?

[Image text]

Jester: You know my name, take a wild guess.

Jester: It's fine honestly. I get why my parents want me to do it. Working in the palace makes you set for life, no worries about going hungry or not having a place to sleep. There's just times where I wish I could be... I don't know, something more I guess.

#asks #kid!anon #not writing #Sorry this took forever!#The background took FOREVER for me to be satisfied with and there's still bits I don't like but here you go :)

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lostandundead · 3 years

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(Kid!Anon: Hmm... Let's pay younger Jester a visit again, hm?)

Heya again, Jester. What's up?

*She's laying in a field and staring up at the clouds as they pass

Jester: Nothing much, just taking a break. Watching the clouds always makes me feel happy.

#asks #kid!anon #not writing

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lostandundead · 3 years

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