The Paracosm
Two teens had escaped to the forest behind town, the only place where they had privacy.
"-Listen, listen, if you think pineapple on pizza is good you're just delusional!"
Says Jaune, "the weird girl".
"I know, right? It's like a dishonor to my ancestors!"
Says Azur, "the golden boy".
"Now I don't even wanna agree with you, because you made it cringey."
"Maybe you're the one who's cringey in the first place!"
"You're such a dork."
"And you're an even worse one!"
"Atleast I didn't call you one."
"You literally did!"
"Can't prove it."
They kept on bickering and teasing until Azur heard something. It sounded like a creature of sort. forest was silent aside from this. Being the curious teens they are, they followed the sound and to their surprise, found a ruin.
The sound came from an old cellar under the foundation of the ruin.
"You think it's safe to go down there..?"
Says Azur
"C'mon, if you're too scared just say so!"
Says Jaune
"It's just dangerous! And it's dark."
"What was that? I think I heard the sound.. of a big ol' pussy.
We're going down if you want to or not."
She drags him inside.
Down the crooked stairs, under the ruin into the empty, humid stone room.
They investigate the cellar, still on edge.
Deeper inside shines a green light. It's completely dark aside from that.
"Dude, is that normal?"
Says Jaune
"Does it LOOK normal?"
Says Azur
"Oh I dunno, maybe the cellar's just down for maintenance!"
Says Jaune sarcastically.
Before Azur can reply, Jaune speaks up again
"It's not like I care! Now, are you coming or not?"
Azur groans and follows her through.
They walk toward the cellar approaching the light.
They see the corpse of a rabbit with a strange black substance around it. Around the corner is a doorway, it's a portal of sort. Through the portal shines.. what appears to be a whole different world, less advanced, less modern.
"This definitely isn't normal.."
"You just NOW found it out?! I'm going in anyways."
Stepping through the portal, she feels the atmosphere change.
It feels.. heavy, like there's something in the air.
She glances behind to see Azur stepping through reluctantly.
"Well? Are you coming or not?"
"Fine."
They walk through what seems to be a forest, but something is off.. the trees are twisting unnaturally, the sunlight barely shines through them.
"This place looks.. BADASS!"
"It looks scary and dangerous!"
"Ugh, SHUUUUUUUT UP! Always gotta ruin the fun."
"Sorry..?"
"If we find something cool, I'm taking it and you're getting blue-balled."
"I don't even know where we are!"
"And you think I do?"
Walking through the forest they see light shining in the distance, through the trees and the leaves.
"If that's something cool, I'm calling dibs."
They approach the light to find a campfire with a blue flame. In the middle of nowhere. It looks like it was just recently lit.
"That's it? No magical crystals or.. hidden rock monster..?"
"You thought we'd find a hidden rock monster in a random forest?"
"You think we wouldn't?!"
Until.. they hear footsteps behind them.
Behind them stands a footsoldier. Clearly not from their time, wearing weathered armor and holding a pike.
He's breathing heavily like he just fought a war. Dried blood is staining the area nearby his mouth.
He slowly, shakily points his pike at them.
"Don't run, little deer..."
He charges at them in a frenzy.
They run away, their life depends on it. They duck and dash through the trees and undergrowth. The soldier charges at them, running through the campfire and catching on fire himself... still, he keeps charging at them, fire spreading along his gambeson.
"WHAT- IS- THAT THING?!" Screams Azur as he runs.
"YOU THINK I KNOW, YOU BITCH?!" Screams Jaune as she almost ducks into a tree.
Through the forest they continue running, their hearts pounding.
The soldier chases them with unreal stamina, the fire on him already vanished in the chase.
They spot a ditch at the edge of the forest and without even thinking they dive into it.
"Ye escapes mean nothing. I shall not wane.." says the soldier, searching for them. He steps into the ditch until...
A twig cracks from their direction. He walks toward it, chuckling in a low gravelly voice. "Found you.."
He bolts toward them, tossing his spear aside and using his hands. He grabs Azur and starting violently attacking him while Azur tries to escape, shielding himself with his arms.
Meanwhile, Jaune notices the spear and in a last ditch effort, stabs the soldier in the abdomen. The soldier stops turns to her. "Little deer.. learned to use ye antlers?.. heh.. heh.. heh....... Sleep with an eye open." The soldier collapses, unconscious.
After a few minutes of standing there in silence they finally speak up.
"Dude... what the fuck was that..." says Jaune, still gripping the spear tightly.
"I don't know, but that was traumatic.."
"It was? Wow, I could've never guessed!"
"You didn't almost die!"
"And you didn't just kill someone."
They continue walking through the forest, Jaune still holds on to the spear, Azur is still shaking.
They see something in a clearing, a deer. Something's off about it though. It has metal scales on its back and its antlers have way too many branches. Jaune slowly approaches it with the spear pointed at it.. until from a tree, they hear the sound of metal scraping..
A person leaps from the tree and impales the deer on a long greatsword.
"You almost woke it up."
They kick the deer off of their sword and stands upright, planting the sword into the ground.
They notice the spear and raise and eyebrow
"Now.. why are you here?"
"We just.. we were just exploring."
"Not from the village?"
"There's a village?"
"There is.. however, it's far away."
They point in a direction, their puffy slashed sleeves blowing in the breeze.
"Through there."
"Well.. thanks! Bye..?"
"Leaving already?" He chuckles
"Have it your own way."
The person bends down and picks the deer corpse up, holding it over their shoulder. Their armor clinks as they do.
"Remember me."
As soon as they appeared, they were gone.
"That was..."
Says Azur.
"something?.."
Replies Jaune
"I guess that means we can find a village. That's something."
"I just wanna leave this place!"
They head off into the direction, walking through the forest. It gets less and less dense as they go.
They end up in an open field, a structure is visible in the distance, on a hill far away.
"Is that the village?"
"It better be.. I'm hungry."
They approach the structure. It's the village, it has tall stone walls around it with vines growing on the sides.
Approaching the gate they see a group of guards bantering, the guards notice them and straighten up.
"Odd garments, eh? Reason of entry?"
"We just want food.."
"With a weapon?"
"This? It's.. a.. it's for hunting."
"Hmmmm.. enter.. but sleep with an eye open."
Jaune's eyes widen and she drags Azur through the gate into the village.
"You.. heard what he said?!"
"Yeah, the thing that.. other soldier did!"
"Scary, huh?..." she sighs "we should just find a way out of this weird.. thing."
"You think I wasn't trying to do that already?"
"No, but you didn't help!"
"Let's just go.."
"That's what I thought."
They walk through the village, still hungry.
"Don't we need to buy food?"
"With what money? They probably have an entire different currency here."
"Fine, we'll just... sell the spear"
"It's mine though."
"It's more important than not starving?"
"No.. fine."
They head to the market and get it appraised before selling it, they get.. 15 kreuzer??
"Dude, what the fuck is a kreuzer."
"You think I know?"
"It better be enough for a meal and a hotel.. or just a meal."
"Let's just hope..."
They wander through the village and find an inn. After bargaining and arguing for prices, they somehow manage to stay the night and get food.
Azur wakes up in his bed, the sunlight shines through the blinds and he turns on the light. He's back in his room. Alone, as if nothing happened.
Across the town, Jaune wakes up in her own room. In her own house, in her own life.
They still have the kreuzer on them.
