10-04-2017, 09:18 PM
When Dick stepped into the gate, he was immediately confronted with a feeling of falling. But it quickly vanished as the scent of seawater barraged his nose, and he lurched from the near-instant transition between the two.
"Ah, come on, ya whelp! Never been through a gate before?" said the man beside him, a look of disdain on his face. "What are ya, a fountain fresh?" Puzzled, Dick looked up from the ground, where he had nearly thrown up. Focusing back on the task at hand, he turned behind him, where the woman was coming in. She strolled in as casually as the man, strolling through simply. Dick immediately got to business, beginning to speak:
"Alright, so where can we get onto the boats?"
"I got my boat docked 'ere, right on Costa. It'll be just a bit, then we'll get on and be heading straight to 'er boat, right?" Dick thought for a moment. Perhaps he should, but he'd need some time to understand this new world. And regardless, looking up he noticed that it was beginning to get dark.
"As much as I'd like to, it's beginning to get dark. We can't risk some pirate ship or something similar taking advantage of the darkness." The woman nearby nodded, but the man got angry, bursting into a near-yell.
"Dammit, I've navigated these waters before at night! They aren't dangerous, not with a captain like me!" Dick sighed.
"Look, if you want me to help, I'll do it tomorrow. If not, I'll allow you to go back again, chasing their boat. But she's not going with you." The man grumbled, walking away toward his boat.
"'A'll be back 'ere tomorrow. Meet me 'ere, or 'a'll be comin' after both of ya." Ignoring his threat, Dick began to walk toward the beautiful city ahead.
Costa, the man had called the island. Thinking to himself, Dick tried to reason more about each gate. This one had led to an island, with an apparently endless sea ahead. Reasonably, it was likely that either each led to a different island, or that no others lead to areas with large bodies of water. However, it was entirely possible that they all led to the same place, or that they all lead to different areas with vast areas of water. So lost in thought, he didn't notice the woman from before was walking just next to him until she spoke up, surprising him.
"Hey, I uh, don't really have a place to stay tonight. Could I stay with you?"
"Yeah, of course. I don't care. First, though, I gotta get some new clothes." He pulled out the top of his kevlar bodysuit, to show what he meant. "Hey so, uh, what would the easiest way to get some money fast be?" The woman let out a chuckle.
"Guess he was right: you are a fountain fresh," she said to herself, before asking simply: "Omni summon you?" Dick thought back to his introduction to the world.
"Yeah, it was Omni. Is there any other way?" The woman ignored his second question.
"Alright, so focus for a minute or so and you can summon stuff, with the Omniliium he told you about. It's like, uh, a superpower, that everyone summoned by Omni gets."
"Okay..." Dick held out his hand and thought about the orb Omni had given him. It suddenly appeared, and Dick thought for a moment about what to shape it into. It would have to be something simple, valuable to everyone so he could exchange it for the native currency. But it should also be relatively small, able to be held in his hands easily. He decided on rubies, small but valuable. He closed his eyes and felt the Omnilium mould into the small gemstones as he thought through the process. He opened his eyes after finished, viewing his product. It would hopefully still be worth something, even here. "Know where I can sell these?" he asked, looking over at the woman.
"Uh... I think there should be a shop that'll take 'em? In the city, I mean. I haven't really, uh, actually been in there much." Dick nodded in response and began walking further into the city.
Howland looked around for a few minutes, taking the entire place in. It seemed mostly to be attractions, though there were shops. Finally, after searching for several minutes, he found a shop claiming to deal in precious gems and metals. As he walked in, a satisfying bell rang and a voice echoed through the shop.
"Comin!" A man came quickly in from the back of the store, and stood behind a counter, leaning on it. "What can I do for ya?"
"How much can I get for these?" Dick placed the rubies onto the counter, and the man's eyes got wide.
"Damn! Those'll be worth a bit!" The man reached down below the counter, fishing out several rainbow-coloured coins and placing them onto the counter, sliding the rubies down and placing them in the back. When Dick reached out and grabbed the coins, he felt that they were quite heavy, clearly with more mass than was apparent.
"Thank you," he said as he walked out. Outside, the woman from before was waiting.
"Why'd you run off like that! I could've taken you here! Probably..."
"I was just trying to get money quickly. You realise how uncomfortable these suits are?" The woman went silent at that remark, so Dick just walked forward, searching again for a shop, this time one selling clothing. Fortunately, he found one much quicker than what he was looking for before, and immediately he went into a changing room with a t-shirt and a pair of jeans. He put them on and grabbed a pair of sunglasses, paying for them with a single rainbow coin before quickly walking out. The woman met him outside, and suddenly a thought came to mind. "You know, I never actually asked your name. What is it?" he said.
"Nicole." The way she spoke it was clear he would get no last name.
Dick walked onward, heading to a nearby hotel with large signage. Soon, he made it inside and put two coins on the counter.
"What type of room will this get me?" A woman behind the counter brought out a scanner, pointing it at the coins. Her jaw fell in shock as a reading appeared.
"Th...this'll get you a full penthouse!"
"A penthouse? I don't need something that grand." But Nicole stepped forward from behind Dick.
"We'll take it." The woman behind the counter, not wanting to deal with them arguing, handed them keys and gestured toward a nearby elevator.
"Insert the key into the slot on the wall of the elevator. That'll take you to the top floor, where your room is." Dick did as she instructed, and was soon moving upward into the penthouse.
"I still don't see why we needed something this big. It's only for a night!" Dick said, aghast from the seemingly needless spending of money.
"Shut up. It's a nice room," Nicole replied. They soon made it into the room, finding themselves in a large room with one huge window, looking out at the beach. To the sides were several doors leading to smaller rooms, and Dick went through one, finding himself in a bedroom. He collapsed into the bed, and got ready for his first rest in this strange world.
"Ah, come on, ya whelp! Never been through a gate before?" said the man beside him, a look of disdain on his face. "What are ya, a fountain fresh?" Puzzled, Dick looked up from the ground, where he had nearly thrown up. Focusing back on the task at hand, he turned behind him, where the woman was coming in. She strolled in as casually as the man, strolling through simply. Dick immediately got to business, beginning to speak:
"Alright, so where can we get onto the boats?"
"I got my boat docked 'ere, right on Costa. It'll be just a bit, then we'll get on and be heading straight to 'er boat, right?" Dick thought for a moment. Perhaps he should, but he'd need some time to understand this new world. And regardless, looking up he noticed that it was beginning to get dark.
"As much as I'd like to, it's beginning to get dark. We can't risk some pirate ship or something similar taking advantage of the darkness." The woman nearby nodded, but the man got angry, bursting into a near-yell.
"Dammit, I've navigated these waters before at night! They aren't dangerous, not with a captain like me!" Dick sighed.
"Look, if you want me to help, I'll do it tomorrow. If not, I'll allow you to go back again, chasing their boat. But she's not going with you." The man grumbled, walking away toward his boat.
"'A'll be back 'ere tomorrow. Meet me 'ere, or 'a'll be comin' after both of ya." Ignoring his threat, Dick began to walk toward the beautiful city ahead.
Costa, the man had called the island. Thinking to himself, Dick tried to reason more about each gate. This one had led to an island, with an apparently endless sea ahead. Reasonably, it was likely that either each led to a different island, or that no others lead to areas with large bodies of water. However, it was entirely possible that they all led to the same place, or that they all lead to different areas with vast areas of water. So lost in thought, he didn't notice the woman from before was walking just next to him until she spoke up, surprising him.
"Hey, I uh, don't really have a place to stay tonight. Could I stay with you?"
"Yeah, of course. I don't care. First, though, I gotta get some new clothes." He pulled out the top of his kevlar bodysuit, to show what he meant. "Hey so, uh, what would the easiest way to get some money fast be?" The woman let out a chuckle.
"Guess he was right: you are a fountain fresh," she said to herself, before asking simply: "Omni summon you?" Dick thought back to his introduction to the world.
"Yeah, it was Omni. Is there any other way?" The woman ignored his second question.
"Alright, so focus for a minute or so and you can summon stuff, with the Omniliium he told you about. It's like, uh, a superpower, that everyone summoned by Omni gets."
"Okay..." Dick held out his hand and thought about the orb Omni had given him. It suddenly appeared, and Dick thought for a moment about what to shape it into. It would have to be something simple, valuable to everyone so he could exchange it for the native currency. But it should also be relatively small, able to be held in his hands easily. He decided on rubies, small but valuable. He closed his eyes and felt the Omnilium mould into the small gemstones as he thought through the process. He opened his eyes after finished, viewing his product. It would hopefully still be worth something, even here. "Know where I can sell these?" he asked, looking over at the woman.
"Uh... I think there should be a shop that'll take 'em? In the city, I mean. I haven't really, uh, actually been in there much." Dick nodded in response and began walking further into the city.
Howland looked around for a few minutes, taking the entire place in. It seemed mostly to be attractions, though there were shops. Finally, after searching for several minutes, he found a shop claiming to deal in precious gems and metals. As he walked in, a satisfying bell rang and a voice echoed through the shop.
"Comin!" A man came quickly in from the back of the store, and stood behind a counter, leaning on it. "What can I do for ya?"
"How much can I get for these?" Dick placed the rubies onto the counter, and the man's eyes got wide.
"Damn! Those'll be worth a bit!" The man reached down below the counter, fishing out several rainbow-coloured coins and placing them onto the counter, sliding the rubies down and placing them in the back. When Dick reached out and grabbed the coins, he felt that they were quite heavy, clearly with more mass than was apparent.
"Thank you," he said as he walked out. Outside, the woman from before was waiting.
"Why'd you run off like that! I could've taken you here! Probably..."
"I was just trying to get money quickly. You realise how uncomfortable these suits are?" The woman went silent at that remark, so Dick just walked forward, searching again for a shop, this time one selling clothing. Fortunately, he found one much quicker than what he was looking for before, and immediately he went into a changing room with a t-shirt and a pair of jeans. He put them on and grabbed a pair of sunglasses, paying for them with a single rainbow coin before quickly walking out. The woman met him outside, and suddenly a thought came to mind. "You know, I never actually asked your name. What is it?" he said.
"Nicole." The way she spoke it was clear he would get no last name.
Dick walked onward, heading to a nearby hotel with large signage. Soon, he made it inside and put two coins on the counter.
"What type of room will this get me?" A woman behind the counter brought out a scanner, pointing it at the coins. Her jaw fell in shock as a reading appeared.
"Th...this'll get you a full penthouse!"
"A penthouse? I don't need something that grand." But Nicole stepped forward from behind Dick.
"We'll take it." The woman behind the counter, not wanting to deal with them arguing, handed them keys and gestured toward a nearby elevator.
"Insert the key into the slot on the wall of the elevator. That'll take you to the top floor, where your room is." Dick did as she instructed, and was soon moving upward into the penthouse.
"I still don't see why we needed something this big. It's only for a night!" Dick said, aghast from the seemingly needless spending of money.
"Shut up. It's a nice room," Nicole replied. They soon made it into the room, finding themselves in a large room with one huge window, looking out at the beach. To the sides were several doors leading to smaller rooms, and Dick went through one, finding himself in a bedroom. He collapsed into the bed, and got ready for his first rest in this strange world.