New world, recovered dreams

[Lokarri]

It was black.
Darkness everywhere within his sight. If Lokarri had been in his right state of mind, he might have questioned where he was or why he couldn't seem to move, but the only thing in his mind was the destruction of the Guild and the loss of his childhood dream. All else seemed to simply slide off his mind without catching.

But then something caught. A person, or at least something that could be loosely defined as a person. More of a shadow or glimmer in the shape of a person. Slowly, his mind latched onto these thoughts as if desperately clawing for something to focus on to restore his mind to working order.

The last Hero tried to move and ask where he was, but neither of those functions seemed to be working properly. It seemed like he was completely immobile or maybe like his body wasn't even there. Nevertheless, the strange being before him spoke for the first time.

“My name is Omni. This is not the world you know. This is the Omniverse. You interest me, so I have made you part of it. The Omniverse is a place that reflects the wishes of those who are part of it. But! There are rules. I will explain them only once, so listen carefully.”

As the multi-colored orb was passed to Lokarri, he couldn't help but compare it to the Experience orbs he learned about in training. This energy seemed to have many more aspects to it, but it was something familiar at least.

“This is Omnilium. It’s what ties the Omniverse together. Without it, you are nothing. With it, anything you desire can be yours. But you will need more than this. If you desire it enough, you will find it. You will find that using it comes naturally. Just think of what you desire most.

“You will not be alone in the Omniverse. There are others. Of course, they, too desire Omnilium. Do not fear death. For as long as you interest me, you will be reborn.

“That’s all you need to know right now. You’ll figure out the rest soon enough. I’ll be watching … and waiting.”

And then the darkness consumed him. Like waking from a dream, Lokarri opened his blue eyes to observe the area. Where once was blackness everywhere now was white. Seemingly stretching on forever like a vast empty plain.

Noise drew his attention towards his feet. The sound of water running and falling. The Hero looked down to behold a massive fountain nearby, with strange architecture that he couldn't quite place but seemed to draw from various cultural styles of Albion. It seemed that he was lying on the blank ground in front of this fountain.

Lokarri drew himself up from his prone position and slid his way over to the edge of the fountain, looking into the water which reflected his normally bright blue eyes. They had dulled recently in shock and sadness, but the light was slowly coming back to them the more he sat and thought.

"This is a new world." he murmured to himself, considering. A chance to start again. A chance to reclaim his lost dream. There may not be a Heroes Guild here, but surely there were people who needed help.

People in need of a Hero.

The light in his eyes returned full force and Lokarri climbed to his feet. He would show this world what a Hero was and fulfill his dream.

As soon as he figured out where to go.

That thought derailed his enthusiasm quickly. He sat back down with his back resting against the fountain and tried to think of a way to figure out where to go. There wasn’t any identifying markers or structures that he could see in the vicinity, though there seemed to be a small dot of color out on the horizon. With no other options, Lokarri jumped back up to his feet and started walking.

[Lokarri]

Without anyone to talk to or any real scenery to observe, Lokarri spent the walk thinking and planning. In Albion, a Hero could tailor their abilities and skills to anything they encountered so that they were adaptable. But there was no telling what he might encounter in this new world. And on top of all that, without the Experience Stone at the entrance of the Guild, he couldn’t increase his abilities in the traditional way. He remembered each of the spells that were taught at the Guild, but without that stone he couldn’t unlock them.

“With it, anything you desire can be yours.”

The Omnilium. Maybe he could use this new energy to recreate the Will spells. A bit of experimentation was definitely in order once he found a safe place to make camp.

There was also the matter of equipment. The Iron Long Sword and Yew Long Bow he had now were basic equipment only meant to be used until a fresh Hero found something better. Even his clothes were nothing more than a placeholder for new equipment. Most Hero’s replaced their gear with armor or a customized outfit after their first quest, once they had the gold to spend on it.

Lokarri sighed and shook off the thoughts. There was nothing to be done for it at the moment and his contemplations had passed the time quickly and he could now make out the details of the dot of color he’d seen on the bleak white landscape. It was what looked like an archway or gate, cut clean from stone and with few decorations. Occasionally, men in leather and chainmail armor with swords hanging from their belts would enter or exit the gateway. From the way that they scanned the gate’s surroundings, Lokarri assumed them to be scouts of some kind. A group of them turned their gaze on him as he approached.

“Hail stranger. Can you tell me where I am and what this gate is?” the Hero asked as politely as he knew how. There was no need to antagonize the local populous, especially when he needed information and bearings.

The armed group pulled up short of Lokarri by about 25 feet. Enough to be heard, but not close enough to be surprised by a sudden attack. There were ten men in the scout group and all of them seemed tense, as if expecting violence at any moment.

“This place is called the Nexus and it is the center of the Omniverse. This gate leads to Camelot, our kingdom led by King Aragorn. Tell me, have you just arrived? Woke up near the fountain at the center of the Nexus?” the apparent leader of the scouts spoke up, stern but still diplomatic.

Lokarri cocked an eyebrow at the strange names of the places, though he really shouldn’t have been surprised. A different world would have its own culture and style after all. He was surprised by the questions though. The strange being who had brought him here had said that there would be others but he hadn’t thought it would be so many as to be common.

“Yes, I woke near the fountain. I was brought here by a being named Omni, though he did not explain much.” the lost Hero explained, hoping to get some answers. As he finished, the group of scouts broke out in murmurs but was quickly silenced by a sharp word from their leader.

“Then you are a Prime. If you will come with us, I will explain as much as I can.” the leader of the scouts gestured towards the gate.

“Very well. I thank you for your help.” Lokarri bowed slightly before moving past the armed group and through the gateway. He never noticed that they backed away slightly as he passed.

One of the group turned towards the leader, visibly shaken.
“Sir, I thought Primes were prone to violence.”

“This one might still be, so stay on your guard. Still, this is the most polite Prime I’ve heard of yet.” The leader shook his head wryly and ordered the group back through the gate. They had a long discussion ahead of them.