02-15-2016, 10:04 AM
Histy examines the device. "Yes, this is Planeptune technology," she concludes, "but... something about it makes it seem like it wasn't made by Planeptunian hands. Something's off." She continues, "don't you think you're jumping to conclusions a little? It's a good sign that this was here, yes, because it means somebody believed in you here. However, the fact that you couldn't sense that faith before you entered this building means that the faith couldn't have been strong, or it at least wasn't multiple people believing in you."
I open my mouth to object, but nothing comes out. "Nope, you've got me beat," I respond. "That might just rule vampires off the list of things that could be here, though. I thought our OS had a built-in vampire-hunting function..." I stop for a minute. I blink, then look at the device again. "What if that's what's off about it?! Maybe somebody--"
"No," Histy says, exasperated. "Please, stop."
"I'm a bit of a handful to deal with all on my own, aren't I?" I observe in a somewhat off-topic fashion. "Should I get you a Nep-handling buddy?" I pull a blob of Ermanilium from out of my sleeve. I place it in midair at about head level and start to think. Who else do I want to join me first? I hadn't given it much thought beforehand, but a bunch of faces jump to mind as I think about who should come first. Iffy, Noire, Blanc, Vert, Marvy, MAGES...
But my mind finally stops on Compa. She was the first person to join me when all this started, so why shouldn't she join me here? I quietly hope that when I summon her, she'll know a bit about this place somehow. Though it takes a while to do so, the ball of Omdeeduhdum starts to take shape, dragging down and out into the shape of a person. It expands outwards a bit all over, then green zeroes and ones start to swirl around the mass of rainbow-coloured material. The zeroes and ones fly into the mass and, in a quick flash, there she is: Compa. With a quiet oof, she tumbles to the ground. I help her up and smile. "Welcome to--"
"The desert doesn't have many plants," Compa shouts in the voice that could only ever be Compa, "but if you look reeeeeeally closely," she adds, stepping closer to me and lowering her voice, "you'll see them in the less hot and dry places."
Histy sighs. "What did you do, Neptune?"
"...So I thought we'd need a guide," I explain as Compa and I walk across the rail. Histy floats between the two of us. I can hear Compa let out a gentle "woah" each time she almost loses her balance, but she doesn't ever seem to be in danger of falling. "But I also kinda wanted Compa around again, so I just added the teeeeensy request to the summonuhbum stuff that she should know a lot about this area. And, uh, I guess that means that now she just knows a lot about the desert." I laugh a little, but my laugh goes nervous and eventually fades as Histy stares daggers into my back. I pick up my pace a little.
"There's not much water in the desert," chimes Compa, "but there's still some because otherwise people couldn't live in deserts." Histy loudly exhales. "Neptune, for the record: the next time you try to do something nice for me, please don't."
I reach the end of the railway, watch Compa finish the last few steps and say, "So, do you guys think we're ready for the first dungeon?" I point down into the darkness below the platform we were just on. The cave system's really dark now - the sun started to set, so now it's harder to see details from above.
"I don't know, Nep-Nep," goes Compa. She sounds a little uncomfortable. "But the desert gets cold at night. It's gonna be night soon, so maybe we should go somewhere warm."
I think for a second. A cave doesn't exactly seem warm. "Ooh! I know! I'll make us something out of Umhumdrum - we could have a tent and a campfire and we can roast marshmallows and dip them in pudding and..." I continue as we walk up one of the hills surrounding the old structure.
Half an hour later we have a camp set up. A white tent with purple edges is set up beside a little campfire. Three sticks with marshmallows pierced on their ends hang over the fire, around which Histy, Compa and myself have sat down. I'm holding two of the sticks and Compa's holding one, since Histy can't really hold her own marshmallow up to the fire without putting her life in danger.
"Nep-Nep, you haven't really said yet, but what is this place?" Compa asks. "I think you tried welcoming me, but... ah... the desert's really big," she says as she starts to shake again. Histy puts a hand on Compa's shoulder and she stops.
"This isn't the world we know," Histy answers. "This is a world called the Omniverse. Neptune summoned you to help me, ah, handle her. You should know better than anyone that she can be a bit difficult," goes Histy with an awkward smile. "Well, you and IF."
Histy continues, "we're trying to make a new Planeptune here. We need a Sharicite to bring what will be our Planeptune to the sky, and apparently a Sharicite exists somewhere in this desert. We're hoping to find it. When Neptune summoned you, to my understanding, she tried to give you knowledge of this area - the Endless Dunes - and in doing so forced a number of desert facts into your mind."
"Soo-rry," I chime in. "In my defense, I didn't know that the Gumteedum that made you had the mind of a Genie!" I pull my two marshmallows from the fire as they finish cooking, then hand one off to Histy. With a little difficulty, she takes it and puts it on a Histy-sized plate for herself.
"I think I have something that helps, though!" Compa declares proudly. "Finding an oasis is really difficult! If we can find one, maybe we can find the Shary-thingy we're looking for!"
Histy's expression changes to be a little disappointed. "I... suppose it's as good a lead as we'll get," she concludes. "We'll rest for now and get to searching for an oasis in the morning."
At that Compa and I ate our marshmallows and went to bed. Compa fell asleep after a few minutes, and not long after that Histy came in, deciding a quarter of her marshmallow was more than enough sweets for her. She went to sleep not long after that, and with nobody to strike up conversation with, I soon followed.
I open my mouth to object, but nothing comes out. "Nope, you've got me beat," I respond. "That might just rule vampires off the list of things that could be here, though. I thought our OS had a built-in vampire-hunting function..." I stop for a minute. I blink, then look at the device again. "What if that's what's off about it?! Maybe somebody--"
"No," Histy says, exasperated. "Please, stop."
"I'm a bit of a handful to deal with all on my own, aren't I?" I observe in a somewhat off-topic fashion. "Should I get you a Nep-handling buddy?" I pull a blob of Ermanilium from out of my sleeve. I place it in midair at about head level and start to think. Who else do I want to join me first? I hadn't given it much thought beforehand, but a bunch of faces jump to mind as I think about who should come first. Iffy, Noire, Blanc, Vert, Marvy, MAGES...
But my mind finally stops on Compa. She was the first person to join me when all this started, so why shouldn't she join me here? I quietly hope that when I summon her, she'll know a bit about this place somehow. Though it takes a while to do so, the ball of Omdeeduhdum starts to take shape, dragging down and out into the shape of a person. It expands outwards a bit all over, then green zeroes and ones start to swirl around the mass of rainbow-coloured material. The zeroes and ones fly into the mass and, in a quick flash, there she is: Compa. With a quiet oof, she tumbles to the ground. I help her up and smile. "Welcome to--"
"The desert doesn't have many plants," Compa shouts in the voice that could only ever be Compa, "but if you look reeeeeeally closely," she adds, stepping closer to me and lowering her voice, "you'll see them in the less hot and dry places."
Histy sighs. "What did you do, Neptune?"
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
"...So I thought we'd need a guide," I explain as Compa and I walk across the rail. Histy floats between the two of us. I can hear Compa let out a gentle "woah" each time she almost loses her balance, but she doesn't ever seem to be in danger of falling. "But I also kinda wanted Compa around again, so I just added the teeeeensy request to the summonuhbum stuff that she should know a lot about this area. And, uh, I guess that means that now she just knows a lot about the desert." I laugh a little, but my laugh goes nervous and eventually fades as Histy stares daggers into my back. I pick up my pace a little.
"There's not much water in the desert," chimes Compa, "but there's still some because otherwise people couldn't live in deserts." Histy loudly exhales. "Neptune, for the record: the next time you try to do something nice for me, please don't."
I reach the end of the railway, watch Compa finish the last few steps and say, "So, do you guys think we're ready for the first dungeon?" I point down into the darkness below the platform we were just on. The cave system's really dark now - the sun started to set, so now it's harder to see details from above.
"I don't know, Nep-Nep," goes Compa. She sounds a little uncomfortable. "But the desert gets cold at night. It's gonna be night soon, so maybe we should go somewhere warm."
I think for a second. A cave doesn't exactly seem warm. "Ooh! I know! I'll make us something out of Umhumdrum - we could have a tent and a campfire and we can roast marshmallows and dip them in pudding and..." I continue as we walk up one of the hills surrounding the old structure.
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Half an hour later we have a camp set up. A white tent with purple edges is set up beside a little campfire. Three sticks with marshmallows pierced on their ends hang over the fire, around which Histy, Compa and myself have sat down. I'm holding two of the sticks and Compa's holding one, since Histy can't really hold her own marshmallow up to the fire without putting her life in danger.
"Nep-Nep, you haven't really said yet, but what is this place?" Compa asks. "I think you tried welcoming me, but... ah... the desert's really big," she says as she starts to shake again. Histy puts a hand on Compa's shoulder and she stops.
"This isn't the world we know," Histy answers. "This is a world called the Omniverse. Neptune summoned you to help me, ah, handle her. You should know better than anyone that she can be a bit difficult," goes Histy with an awkward smile. "Well, you and IF."
Histy continues, "we're trying to make a new Planeptune here. We need a Sharicite to bring what will be our Planeptune to the sky, and apparently a Sharicite exists somewhere in this desert. We're hoping to find it. When Neptune summoned you, to my understanding, she tried to give you knowledge of this area - the Endless Dunes - and in doing so forced a number of desert facts into your mind."
"Soo-rry," I chime in. "In my defense, I didn't know that the Gumteedum that made you had the mind of a Genie!" I pull my two marshmallows from the fire as they finish cooking, then hand one off to Histy. With a little difficulty, she takes it and puts it on a Histy-sized plate for herself.
"I think I have something that helps, though!" Compa declares proudly. "Finding an oasis is really difficult! If we can find one, maybe we can find the Shary-thingy we're looking for!"
Histy's expression changes to be a little disappointed. "I... suppose it's as good a lead as we'll get," she concludes. "We'll rest for now and get to searching for an oasis in the morning."
At that Compa and I ate our marshmallows and went to bed. Compa fell asleep after a few minutes, and not long after that Histy came in, deciding a quarter of her marshmallow was more than enough sweets for her. She went to sleep not long after that, and with nobody to strike up conversation with, I soon followed.
![[Image: KBSao70.jpg]](http://i.imgur.com/KBSao70.jpg)