| Alternate Manimal Universe
Dragon Fred goes to the Southern Caves to slay a dragon. He fails and
is sent to the dragon Moreau's island where he is transformed into a ManFox.
He meets the dragon Malachi (later to be known as Malachi D'Honaire) and
they fall in love. He turns her into a shefox. They save the Pack from
certain death and are then zapped to a parallel Moreau's Island (Terra
Prime Universe).
Alternate Vampire Universe
Fred goes to the Southern Caves to slay a dragon. Instead, he is killed
and resurrected as a vampire. His vampire master has captured three women
for Fred to feed on; Astra, Andrea and Alicia (call her Alicia 2). Andrea
is the one who gets away. Alicia 2 and Astra's unwilling blood donation
is interrupted before the point where the transfer of blood between vampire
and victim would change victim into vampire. The victims are still alive--albeit
a few quarts low and BARELY conscious--as the AI Inquirer begins to try
to fight it out. Both Astra and Alicia 2 are rescued from becoming vampires,
but when they get zapped to the Terra Prime Universe Astra dies from the
Phage due to something that she doesn't have in her immune system (something
genetic). The Vampires are dead and dust, BTW (but you already knew that
about this thread).
Alternate Walants Universe 1
Fred 1 goes to the Southern Caves to slay a dragon. He kills Velus.
He & Astra 1 are sent to the Calamari Desert to die. Dr.Vincent saves
them. Minestus kidnaps Astra 1 and turns her into a demifox. Fred 1 goes
after her but becomes a demifox too. Malachi and Minestus kill each other.
Fred 1 & Astra 1 go to Walants to give Synizn the Crystallic so he
can cure them. In Walants they are put in jail. Their greedy lawyer Rift
frees them so that they can lead him to the dead dragon's treasure. Fred
1& Astra 1 get zapped to Atlantis (Terra Prime Universe).
Alternate Walants Universe 2
Fred 2 goes to the Southern Caves to slay a dragon. He kills Velus.
He & Astra are sent to the Calamari Desert to die. Dr.Vincent saves
them. Minestus kidnaps Astra 2 and turns her into a demifox. Fred goes
after her but becomes a demifox too. Malachi and Minestus kill each other.
Fred 2& Astra 2 go to Walants to give Synizn the Crystallic so he can
cure them. Fred 2, Astra 2 and WereBear Synizn (soon to be Dragon Synizn)
get zapped to Atlantis (Terra Prime Universe
Alternate Walants Universe 3
Fred 3 goes to the Southern Caves to slay a dragon. He kills Velus.
He & Astra 3 are sent to the Calamari Desert to die. Dr.Vincent saves
them. Minestus kidnaps Astra 3 and turns her into a demifox. Fred goes
after her but becomes a demifox too. Malachi and Minestus kill each other.
Fred 3 & Astra 3 go to Walants to give Synizn the Crystallic so he
can cure them. Their WereBear Synizn (soon to be Demifox Synizn) cures
them and sends them to Aqualaria where they get married and have 7 babies
(not in that order). Later, Synizn (now a demifox) visits them and asks
for their help to destroy the Crystallic. They go to Normady and meet up
with the dragon Sigin. Fred 3, Astra 3, DemiFox Synizn & Dragon Sigin
get zapped to Atlantis Manimal Universe) .
Alternate Walants Universe 4
Fred goes to the Southern Caves to slay a dragon. He kills Velus. He
& Astra are sent to the Calamari Desert to die. Dr.Vincent saves them.
Minestus kidnaps Astra and turns her into a demifox. Fred goes after her
but becomes a demifox too. Malachi and Minestus kill each other. Fred &
Astra go to Walants to give Synizn the Crystallic so he can cure them.
WereBear Synizn cures them and sends them to Aqualaria where they get married
and have 7 babies. Later, Synizn (now a demifox) visits them and asks for
their help to destroy the Crystallic. They go to Normady and meet up with
the dragon Sigin. Dragoness Moreau somehow manages to drag Fred and Synizn
(now a demifox) to the lost city of Atlantis, defeat them in battle, and
leave them for bait for when Astra, Sigin, and the 7 infants come along
finally. The other adventurers do come along, and the trap is sprung. Sigin,
Fred, Astra, and the 7 infants are transformed into demifoxes. Moreau removes
some magical alterations that Synizn had put on himself to prevent him
from falling to his demifox nature when he smells a vixen (mundane or other
wise) in heat. The dragoness then puts the still logy demifoxes in the
presence of mundane foxes. The demifox females are in heat, as well as
the mundane vixens. What happens next is....nature taking her course. 50
days later, well past the two week deadline to reverse the curse, the demifoxes
regain themselves and find that they now have MORE infants to worry about.
Bad enough, and doubly so because it appears that there is nothing that
they can do about it (no revenge on Dragoness Moreau, because she swiped
the Crystallic.....the only means of getting off this island that they
now are on). However, Moreau got defeated by a Carradene who was at wits
end (lets call him Carradene 2). Carradene 2 had made arrangements to FINALLY
get the Pack off the Island, only to find that Malachi was dead....as well
as Minestus. Since Minestus was dead, he needed not fear retaliation from
the wyrm as he defeated Moreau. The Pack stumbled across the demifoxes
and were bringing them up to speed when a Crystallic thrown by a panicked
mage through a interdimensinoal portal lands at their feet. Sigin Vulpine,
Rosepaw, their 12 kits and Carradene are zapped to a parallel Moreau's
Island (Manimal Universe).
Alternate Walants Universe 5
Fred 5 goes to the Southern Caves to slay a dragon. He kills Velus.
He & Astra 5 are sent to the Calamari Desert to die. Dr.Vincent saves
them. Minestus kidnaps Astra 5 and turns her into a demifox. Fred 5 goes
after her but becomes a demifox too. Malachi and Minestus kill each other.
Fred 5 & Astra 5 go to Walants to give Synizn the Crystallic so he
can cure them. In Walants they are put in jail. Their greedy lawyer Rift
frees them so that they can lead him to the dead dragon's treasure. The
lawyer, dwarf, and their unwilling guest go out on the road to the Lair,
only to have the demifoxes stumble upon a cure for their condition. You
see, during a tense discussion with Tarin (the dwarf), the Crystallic morphed
into an amber soft ale that Tarin, Astra 5, and Fred 5 ingested (long story).
It didn't seem to effect Tarin in the slightest, but it caused the demifoxes
to change back to human (thought Astra 5 is still pregnant). Each injestor
actually had assimilated part of the Crystallic, unbeknownst to them at
the time.
During a discussion as what to do next, the heroes made a terrible mistake.
They had left the Crystallic laying about, in reach of the lawyer, Master
Rift, and the barrister used the gem to keep them in line.
Then, while on the road, they all run into bandits, which the end result
is that Rift and Tarin run for it while Astra 5 and Fred 5 are captured.
The bandits ride back to Walants, with visions of the profits made from
selling the adventurers as slaves. But, through some double dealing between
another Walants lawyer and a member of the Paine gang (the bandits), we
soon have the "custody" of Fred 5 and Astra 5 called into question. For
a bit, it even looks like Astra 5 will be able to get Rift to get them
free, but Rifts turns the tables by balckmailing Astra 5. If she doesn't
fully cooperate, then her parents will learn of her delicate condition,
caused by actions outside of wedlock. Ironically, in a land ruled by woman,
this would cause her dishonor, dis-inheritance, and banishment. Astra complies,
not wishing this to happen. Fred 5 is left out of the loop, and wondering
just what the deuce is up her, but comes along because his honor and his
desire to get the Crystallic away from Rifts makes him.
So, Rifts, Astra 5, and Fred 5 go off again to the Hoard, while Tarin
cleans up the details with axe and Pact (getting the other lawyer to sign,
putting him in the dwarf's service, or else dying by axe). Tarin catchs
up after Rifts talks his way past a black knight with a bone to pick with
people from Walants. Rifts had known what to say since he had been the
defender of a man who had broken into an apothecary shop in search for
medicine to heal his sick daughter (the thief got hung and the daughter
died, much to the indifference to this Rift).
Things get even worse when Rift decides to try out the power of alteration
of the Crystallic on Astra 5. Rift had willed Astra's hair to turn from
red to black. In addition to that, it turned Astra 5's entire skin black
(and I mean BLACK). Now, even her parents wouldn't recognize her. Rifts
finally let slip the blackmail of Astra 5, and Fred 5 finally understood
what was up! He didn't really blame Astra 5, and the distance that had
been growing between the two vanished.
Still, Rift had the gem..but not for long. There was the question of
Tarin.
See, Tarin was a dwarf who had been exiled from his Clan for having
Second Sight, a magic talent. Magic is anathema to dwarves in general,
and as such Tarin was much the embarrassment. The news spread throughout
the dwarven community, and Tarin was now a pariah. A dwarf without a Clan
is sad. One banished is a tragedy, for stated reasons. Tarin went a bit
mad because of this. He went to great lengths to prove to the world he
was nothing but dwarf..and went to excess. He flew into beserker rages,
sometimes not able to tell friend from foe. But at the core of it all,
he had self doubts about if he was a "real" dwarf.
An unwanted Vision on the road, where he met his "brother" from Terra
"Prime" and seeing his "own death" at the hands of some demifoxes, coupled
with the revelations that by inbiding the Crystallic, he had become even
more magical..and thus unforgivable in the eyes of his fellow dwarves.
He couldn't bribe his way back into his Clan now, even with ten Hoards.
Tarin snapped.
Mad, he turned and demanded Rifts give him the Crystallic (and made
it clear that instant ompliance would be a BAD idea). Rift, knowning that
he can't win, complies (beside, Tarin "owned" him by Pact..so better not
mess around here)! So now the corrupt Tarin had the means of reaching his
brother."
Tarin wills them to Terra "Prime." The corrupt Tarin, Fred 5 & Astra
5 get zapped to Walants (Manimal Universe). They arrive buck naked and
unconscious! A stable boy stumbles across them, and then goes for help.
Alternate Walants Universe 6
Fred goes to the Southern Caves to slay a dragon. He kills Velus.
He & Astra are sent to the Calamari Desert to die. Dr.Vincent saves
them. Minestus kidnaps Astra and turns her into a demifox. Fred goes after
her but becomes a demifox too. Malachi and Minestus kill each other. Fred
& Astra go to Walants to give Synizn the Crystallic so he can cure
them. WereBear Synizn cures them and sends them to Aqualaria where they
get married and have 7 babies. Later, Synizn (now a demifox) visits them
and asks for their help to destroy the Crystallic. They go to Normady and
meet up with the dragon Sigin. Dragoness Moreau somehow manages to drag
Fred and Synizn (now a demifox) to the lost city of Atlantis, defeat them
in battle, and leave them for bait for when Astra, Sigin, and the 7 infants
come along finally. The other adventurers do come along, and find the unconscious
Fred and Synizn sprawled next to the burned out corpse of Dragoness Moreau.
The corpse is still smoking after all this time since time.....flows at
odd speeds at this fell city. The adventures are reunited, but must flee
Atlantis because the magical battle that had knocked out Fred and Sigin
(and killed Moreau) had weakened the city's magical shields. The adventureres
get away and witness the tons of water crush the fell city.....ruinining
it and any chance they had at fulfilling their mission to destroy the Crystallic
through means found in Atlantis! But this destruction caused some bad feedback
in the slipgate system, so while the entity that was in control of the
slipgates was assessing damage to itself....Terra Prime's slipgate was
reaching out and grabbing land and people like mad....... And this is what
happened when it reached out to take these adventurers through THEIR Crystallic!
Now, it can be said that the multi-verse is a weird place, where almost
anything is possible AND probable....if you look hard enough. Sometimes,
however, even some events just come out of left field, take a right at
the stoplight.....and head into the zone of just plane NUTS!
Now, some argue that there is a higher order.....that Someone or Something
is in charge. Anyone witnessing the next event from a position ABOVE the
multi-verse, in a set of universes of "low probability"......that person
would have to wonder about that!
A Crystallic, giving off the proscribed warning signal to it's owner,
to prepare him for an unexpected call from a malfunctioning Otherworld
Slipgate system, is instead thrown through the very viewing screen/warning
sign it had used to warn it's owner. The much suffered artifact shrugs
mental shoulders, and finds itself at the feet of a humanoid, grizzled,
grey furred wolf....and a bunch of demi-foxes! The safety feature of the
slipgate system that SHOULD prevent two such powerful Atlantian artifacts
to exist on the same plane of existence, backfires and sends yet another
Crystallic that was floating in the molten remains of what used to be it's
owners lair (re:1270) zipping back to a stunned demi-fox and his shipmates
(re:2523). Then, the entire Island of Dragon Moreau suddenly flashes yet
AGAIN, finally causing the imprisoning shields meant to keep the Pack in
(and incidentally keeping a deadly Phage out) back to where it's home universe.
Then.......we get a view of what Synizn does next.....
A glimpse at what happened....
"I mean just that," Synizn states as he places the Crystallic into a
large mug. With a mental command, the Crystallic first forms into a bottle
of fizzing liquid, then seems to just melt down into the mug....forming
a glowing liquid that fills the mug. The demi-fox slams the mug's contents
down his throat, startling quick. The demi-fox licks the last drop of what
had been the Crystallic, and turns to look at his stunned friends. His
eyes seem to have an inner glow to them, and then fade back to normal.
"Are you CRAZY!" Fred nearly shouts. "You want to try to...."
"Poison myself?" chuckles the demi-fox. "It didn't happen to your analogs,
nor shall it happen to me. And since there is nothing of the Crystallic
to use to 'control' me......"
"You've become the Crystallic!" gasps Sigin, suddenly seeing what is
happening. "By consuming it, you and it combine!"
"Right," nods the demi-fox sadly. "And while that means that anyone
who wants the power of the Crystallic will have to destroy me. And since
I'm part and parcel to that thing....destroying me destroys It. The downside,
though it's kind of not a downside, is that I now have the lifespan of
the Cyrstallic."
"Uh," Fred gulps. "How...long?"
"Frankly," the demi-fox says. "I'd guess with the in 500,000 to a million
years, I should be finally done."
His friends just stare at him. Even Sigin looks queesy at the idea of
living THAT long. Dragons could conceivably live forever, but.......
"Now, I had possesssion of this item and pledged to serve you and yours,
dear Fred and Astra," the demi-fox says, bowing formally. "With this, I
guess I get to serve for a longer time than I previously figured.
"And besides," smiles the demi-fox. "It isn't like by consuming that
Crystallic I'm suddenly a god. Tiamat knows that I am not! It just gives
me an edge in a mage battle, and allows me to do a few more things that
I'd need the slipgates to do."
"Your humble servant awaits," Synizn says to his friends.
<Well, at least he's now no longer stuck with the lifespan of a human!>
Sigin says to himself.
But lo, the slipgate finally gets done assessing damage to self, and
sends out a panic message to the Crystallic....which is now Synizn.....
Everyone is just beginning to smile at along with the infectious grin
on Synizn's face when......
The now cousin to the Crystallic endowed demifox, the slipgate system,
has just run a self diagnostic.....and has now just gotten over the horror
of what it has detected. Synizn is knocked to his knees as facts and figures!
The inrush of water went off with the force of high explosives, and
was thus able to cause a serious feedback inside the slipgate system. Basically,
the same thing that happened to the slipgate system on a parallel world
called Terra Prime!
Problem is that the only solutions that the little demifox knows of,
instinctively, can not be done. This is in large part that the control
center of the system had been in what had been the city of Atlantis! There
was only one entity race that would have the answers for this vexing problem,
and that involved incredible persistence (for how would that person have
gotten the qualifications for this trip otherwise!
Synizn grows pale (as far as his colorful complexion allows it), and
he whispers something in dragon.
Roughly translated, it translates into fecal matter!
Sigin, Astra, and Fred suddenly are disoriented to find themselves in
front of a small gray man in a slate gray 20th century business suit.....and
a scowl of annoyance!
179 then pauses, and looks down at a rather detailed report as to just
why these people (this takes only a second to read a report who's print
is as small as individual atoms and conveys information many times the
sum total of all human knowledge). He then smiles and nods, looking more
kindly upon the strange group in front of human, demifox, and dragon. Small
stuffed fox plushies appear in the little hands of the offspring of the
infants (appropriate, considering their unusual heritage).
Now, according to the report, these were some of the few analogous demifox
mages who'd been.....gutsy enough to ingest the Crystallic....making it's
substance their own. The others were being taken care off by other.....emotionally
enhanced Rules. Rules specifically chosen, endowed with emotion and initiative
to handle strange situations that left the plain Rule in conniptions!
The humans and other mortals are just beginning to open their mouths
slowly to ask what the meaning of all this is (mortals minds and reflexes
were incredibly slow in the Realm that 179 worked) when 179 is about to
tell them he's going to add their caseload to the pile of slipgates that
need to be shut down when 179 hears a sound that chills his nonexistent
heart!
The demifox mage just hiccuped.....four times....and with the powers
he had inside him.....
One tone of hiccup causes....
A Star Fleet Admiral, along with the FOUR analogous people who all called
themselves Kathryn Janeway....are sent (along with some of the office furniture)
to a parallel world that....they had only left a few moments ago.....in
a relative measure of time....
A different timbered hiccup calls forth set made of a fallen dark knight
by the name of Frederigo D'Honaire (Thoabath to his demonic masters), a
young girl/woman who should know better than to seek out adventure in such
wild lands, and a young flame haired woman who was currently reveling under
the sway of the moon (mushroom induced wolf curse coursing through her
veins). A holy man pauses in consternation.... knowing SOMETHING just happened
nearby....but wasn't sure exactly just what happened....
Due to previous strictures set down by the Rules.....they would not
be returning to the world that had spawned them. They all knew that....they
weren't going home....ever.
Looks of shock....fear are slowly forming on their faces (even on the
presently lupine Astra's face).....
Another hiccup....higher pitched....
Another set. Another set of not going "home."
Another Fred D'Honaire, along with his sister Lady Rowena, and Lem (a
dwarf), and Dokken (another dwarf), suddenly find themselves looking at
a rather surprised looking caravan of dwarves who are gathered around a
wagon who is holding the black skinned beauty known as Astra. Fred's brows
start to draw together in shock....and surmise.
By now there should be signs of necrosis on the lovely woman's stately
body.....but......
A twist of the magical ether and three incredibly tiny human infants
appear next to the silent Astra.....and suddenly shiver! Stillborn and
dead though they had been, the infants find themselves alive again....due
to the unique nature of both a synergistic reaction between the Crystallic
essence that marks up a small part of themselves.....the dragon gem that's
still in Tarrin Gazin's pocket....and a demifox mage. Oh, and don't worry....we
made sure that the right sould get put back in the right bodies.....Astra
7 and Fred 7!
One last hiccup, and that takes care of what would have been delicate
work for 179 as far as dealing with the demifox's group. Coming to 179
in such a manner was allowed by the Rules, so the demifox hadn't been risking
anything by something here by teleportation. Indeed, it was REQUIRED that
he come here....and take along the people around him (leaves less witnesses).
See, though Synizn and friends could come to 179.....they weren't allowed
to return home.....again....ever. Cruel, but that was the stricture handed
down by the Higher Ups. But instead of leaving a mysterious disappearance,
Synizn's hiccup had made one last set of duplicates. However, these duplicates
are unlike the OTHER duplicates of analogous people. They are dead and
stiff in rigor mortis. Much sorrow and grieving will happen throughout
the lands of Allaria and Aqualaria. The originals know this (well....the
grownups understand...the infants just are confused by the images that
parades through their infant minds). They start to shout in protest.
Slowly.
The look of sadness that 179 gives them in way of apology stops it cold.
The Rules silently wishes he could do something else....and also wishes
that these poor people had come across his desk in the more convenient
form of paper files. That way he'd be able to not have to look into their
faces to break the news to them about what's up.
"Sorry," the Rules says softly. "I can't change it....not even a little
bit. But, I won't leave you stranded here. I wouldn't wish that dull existence
on my worst enemy! There's another world out there....similar to yours
and where you'll find friends....for those who deserve them! I leave how
you handle the Oathbreaker knows as Fred....also known as Thoabath to you
fellows. As for Tarin and the other dwarves....when you meet Queen Astra
and her Dwarven delegation.....I suggest running....FAST!"
"I'll be along....soon enough to take care of some loose ends," the
Rules says, turning away back to work. The adventurers disappear into thin
air....and reappear in an Ethiopian desert.....
179's hand's blur as he whittles away at the massive pile of Request
to shut down the numerous analogous Terra's slipgates who's Crystallics
had been destroyed. Synizn's form is on the top of the mound of forms.....
-
 "And so you
appeared on Terra Prime....fighting ensued for various reasons and we now
have ourselves here," 179 sighs. "Thus ends Fred 6's story to this point...along
with a little bit of color from the others here....."
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