Something...random...for fun.

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Author's note - This story is strange, much of 'bartje''s past will be revealed later.
Vancouver, Canada, 1807
Bartje Van den Hause walked carefully through the bog.
Most of Vancouver was a freaking bog.
Bartje wandered carefully through 'main street'.
He walked up the stairs to the Post Office.
"Anything forrr me?" Bartje asked, with a thick Dutch accent.
"Aye, Laddie. That ye do. We've got a parcel for ye from... I can't read this country name... Tai... teil... Thailand? Something like that." The postmaster said softly.
Bartje nodded, and signed for the parcel.
He read that tag properly.
"Where... is Tswassen?" Bartje asked.
"Is THAT what that says?" The Postmaster asked in reply.
"I think so." Bartje replied.
"I haven't heard of it." The Postmaster replied.
Bartje nodded.
As he stepped back down the stairs, he frowned.
Fixing his cowboy hat, he smiled.
One thing you would never find in Holland; A man wearing BOOTS NOT MADE OF WOOD, wearing A HAT THAT STOOD UP ON IT'S OWN, and his personal favorite, the simple 6 shooter on his belt.
Of course, there wasn't a good wheel of cheese to be found anywhere on this bloody continent.
As Bart walked casually through the muddy swampyness of the "Burrard Highway", he made a left down "Granville Street" heading towards the ferry's dock.
It took him the usual three hours to get there, and finally, managed to catch the last ferry heading to Richmond.
As he sat down on the chair, and carefully unwrapped the strange box.
As he untied the elaborate knot on it, and looked up.
A strange storm was building... It reminded him a little of home.
He found it mildly amusing that, despite leaving Rotterdam at only 7, and he was now 21 and had lived here for most of his life, he still thought of the city as 'home'.
He made this trip once a week, and worked at the bakery on No. 3 road for the remaining 6 days of the week, including Sundays.
This of course annoyed the church officials to no end.
However, amusingly enough, thier' kids still came in every sunday after church for a mug of root beer and a slice of white cake.
Of course, the recipe didn't call it White Cake. The recipe translated the name into Egg cake. But nobody buys Egg Cakes. They like White Cakes. These people were strange.
Bartje had also gotten used to the fact that his rolling R's, or his full name was frequently frowned upon.
He simply donned the nickname "Bart".
His last name... they also never bothered trying to pronounce.
He looked into the box, and contemplated it's contents.
A simple book.
It was written in... some strange... it was a language. He could tell that. He couldn't read it.
Then something caught his interest on the box.
It was from a dead woman.
He looked around, watching the others on the boat.
The city of Richmond's Sheriff, sitting casually next to his mount, as most Royal Canadian Mounted Police did, amusingly enough, a beer in his hand for him, and a beer in his hand, which he was feeding to his horse.
Sitting to Bartje's left, was an over-weight woman... he wasn't familiar with her, or where he was from.
To his right, the Bartender, Joseph Miller, sat comfortably in his usual seat, carefully watching the horizon.
Bartje noticed, lastly, the person out of place.
It was someone... he couldn't see many distinguishing features. She, he could figure out that much, had blonde hair. She was wearing a blue robe, and a strange colored pair of pants... they looked like tanned leather but...were more of a strange mesh.
Her boots were strange, in a way he couldn't quite understand... and her hat, was...almost..witch-like.
He was starting to feel ill, because the boat was rocking. The Storm was getting significantly worse.
He looked back down at the book.
The woman fell backwards, towards him, and he carefully helped her catch her balance.
She smiled, and sat down next to hm.
"Thank you." She whispered.
He simply nodded.
She looked at his book, and apparently recognized it.
He looked at the first page inside the cover, and found something he could actually read.
"Alta Souris Koulam Moriama." He read it aloud, then turned to her. "What the hell does that me?"
Her eyes widened.
"You should not speak things you do not understand." She whispered.
He looked at her, curiously.
She looked up.
He followed her gaze.
And then the sky opened forth, and lightning hit the boat.


Tswassen City, Country of Vancouver, Third day of the month of the dog.
Bartje looked up. There were strange ears...and he could feel them, drapping over his face.
He twitched his nose, and watched his whiskers twitched.
And then he realized... he wasn't a he.
"What the hell is going on here?" He said aloud, in a very feminine voice
A body fell down next to him.
"What the bloody hell... my robe got ripped." A strange voice said next to him.
Bartje looked over.
"That was exactly my thought." He said softly.
The person next to him sat up, and bartje followed suit.
"Ah... So much better to be back to my normal self." The person next to him said softly.
"You normally look like an overstuffed dog with big ears?" Bartje asked.
"This from the man who came through the rift as a Viera." The person retorted.
"YOU may find this amusing, I find this armor... chaffs in places... Places I didn't HAVE before I came through that damn thing." Bartje replied.
"Well, Bartje Van den Hause, you had best adopt a female name, cause you aren't going to get much trust with a male name around here, looking like that. As it stands, Viera aren't very trusted in Tswassen or Ladner. You have to get into the surrey-cloverdale range before they'll trust you." The person said softly.
"Umm...who...exactly...are you?" Bartje asked.
"Well... in YOUR realm, I'm simply Alexis McDunnel. HERE, I'm Professor Augusto Nutrino." Augusto replied.
"Umm... kay. I want to go home. I have to be at work tomorrow morning!" Bartje yelled at Augusto.
"Well... that's gonna be hard. You have no idea what that book WAS, do you?" Augusto asked.
"Well...no." Bartje replied.
"It was a mystic artifact, It bridges worlds, with special words. There are three in total, there is yours, mine, and another one, I have never been too. I was rather shocked to find out that people rarely come through to other realms as the same form as their 'home' realm." Augusto said softly.
"SO HOW THE HELL DO I GET HOME?" Bartje yelled.
"That's not very ladylike." Augusto said, with a bit of a laugh.
"Shut the hell up." Bartje retorted.
"Fine. I won't tell you how to get home then." Augusto said, laghing.
"No, you moron, I wanna go home." Bartje said softly.
Augusto shook his head.
"I won't be able to help you much. Not...alone. I think we had best be looking for some help; it will require... alot of work, and strength." Augusto said softly.
Bartje nodded.
"Check your gear, I doubt you will have the same gear. Your armor, atleast, will be different than your 'usual' wardrobe." Augusto said, laughing a bit, as Bartje twitched 'his' ears.
Bartje looked down at his dress, which, much to his amusement, was cut rather formfitting, and his boots, albeit stylish, were a litte... well... in his world would be called 'hooker-ish'. However, 'he' found that it completed his wardrobe nicely.
Interestingly enough, his choice of weaponry seemed... somewhat... properly transferred.
Strapped, again, stylishly to 'his' back, was a strange sword.
To Augusto, it appeared to be just a sword, but Bartje had read about this before, it was theorized that a 6-shooter and a sword could be stylishly combined to make even a parried, or countered slice deadly, with a simple bullet.
Bartje grabbed it out of it's sling, and tried a few experimental slices with it.
"Careful with that, you aren't 'engaged', if you use it too much without a target, people will start looking at you odd." Augusto said to him.
"I feel odd enough." Bartje replied.
Augusto laughed.
"I'll bet." Augusto said softly.
Bartje flicked his ears out of his face, and stuck his sword back in his face.
"So, lady Bartje, have you given ANY thought about a proper name?" Augusto asked.
Bartje looked through his past, and only one came to him.
He nodded.
"Jodi-lynn Franklin." He said softly, a shadow of the memory associated with that name fell over his face briefly, and Augusto appeared spooked by this.
"What?" He asked.
Augusto shook his head.
"Come, we must go. Before the Proctoriate comes." Augusto said softly.
"The what?" 'Jodi-lynn' asked.
"We CAN discuss it later AFTER we make sure there IS a later." Augusto said, pulling her towards a strange building, listed simply, atleast according to the building's sign as "Centurio".
Jodi-lynn twitched her ears in annoyance, realizing she'd have to get used to this new strange world, and followed the droopy-eared mysterious man.

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Centurio Clan Halls, Tswassen City, Vancouver
As 'Jodi' followed Augusto into the building, instantly, 'she' knew she was in over her head.
"Augusto! It's been several WEEKS since anyone has seen you." A strange... cat? Mouse? Something inbetween? said in greeting.
"Indeed, Keshi, I didn't think I'd make it back this time." Augusto replied.
"And who is this?" Keshi asked.
"A lost warrior, his home is not in 'this' realm." Augusto said the last part softly.
"His? But 'he' is quite clearly a viera." Keshi said in a whisper.
"It's a long story. 'he' wants to go home, but that will require the four crystals to be shattered." Augusto replied, again in whisper.
"The crystals! But they are guarded by the elements!" Keshi exclaimed, drawing attention from those around them.
'Jodi' looked down, and frowned, and her ears mimicked the gesture.
"What's your name?" Keshi asked.
Jodi cleared her throat, and turned to the overgrown rodent.
"Jodi... Jodi-lynn Franklin." She said softly.
Keshi nodded.
Behind him, a man's eyebrows rose.
He walked up to the three of them, just as Keshi and Augusto went up the staircase behind Jodi.
"Why are you using... that name?" The man asked.
He was wearing odd clothing... and he had an amazingly well crafted bow draped casually over his shoulder.
"Because... I am." 'Jodi' said softly.
"Mmmm... You remind me of someone..." The man trailed off.
"Who?" 'Jodi asked.
"You wouldn't know him. He's not of this realm." He said softly.
Jodi's ears perked up.
"If you are referring to Bartje Van den Hause... you are talking to him." 'Jodi' said softly.
The man's eyebrows rose further still.
"Ah. I see. Well.. I'm Laurent Frankford... but you probably better know me.... as Jodi-Lynn Franklin." 'Laurent said softly.
"You died!" 'Jodi' exclaimed.
"Well...no...I was just never seen again, actually." Laurent replied.
Jodi simply nodded.
"Come home with me." Jodi said softly.
"I can't go home. It's not possible." Laurent said, laughing at what he assumed was Naivity on his friend's part.
"Augusto said it can be done. It will just take alot of effort." Jodi retorted.
Laurent frowned.
"If you mean the crystals, they are guarded by the Palace, AND the elements. It is not exactly.. possible." Laurent said softly.
A knock on the door caught everyones attention, just as 15 soldiers barged into the room.
Without thinking, Jodi pulled her sword out of it's sling, and Laurent followed suit.
Keshi and Augusto came running down the stairs, each wielding some odd weapon or another.
"Is this your first engagement?" Keshi asked.
Augusto nodded at the same time Jodi did.
"We're screwed." Laurent said softly.

Round 1, Engagement, Centurio Clan hall, Tswassen, Vancouver.
Augusto frowned.
"You have no clue. This battle runs on 'turns', each player can only attack during thier' 'turn'. If you make any attack when it isn't your turn, you activate the 'melee' mode, which, as an amateur, you would likely NOT survive. It is, however your' turn." Augusto said softly.
Jodi nodded, and rushed at a soldier, sword held high.
The soldier easily blocked the wild swing, only to be hit, square in the face, with a nice little piece of lead.
Keshi's eyes rose, as the soldier instantly fell, his health depleted.
Laurent's turn came next, and he fired a volley of arrows at the gaggle of opponents, causing 2 to fall, and 3 to be badly wounded.
Then one of the soldiers attacked Jodi, and she easily parried the shot, mixed in with a couple of wild bullet launches, which, amusingly enough, killed a couple of the soldier's team-mates.
Augusto glared at the remaining soldiers.
"This is Centurio property. The Castle has no right to invade." Augusto said, in a condescending manner.
"The Castle has reason to believe a Mystwalker is here." The lead guard said, retorting Augusto's charges.
"That matters little for you now." Augusto said.
"What do you mean by that?" The lead guard asked.
Augusto raised his hand, and then a bright shining light came from it, and all the soldiers fell under it's power.
"THAT is what I mean by that." Augusto said softly.
"A Mystwalker?" Laurent asked.
"A being with the ability to walk between realms... in theory, the only kind of people who could attack the crystals." Augusto replied.
"Who exactly would that be?" Keshi asked.
Augusto looked at Jodi.
"Our new friend." Augusto said softly.
Jodi frowned, and her ears drooped.
"Take a chill pill, once you unlock a few more abilities, you could probably handle a gaggle twice that size on your own." Augusto said, trying to cheer Jodi up.
Jodi just shook her head.
"I want to go home." She said softly, as she sat down in the middle of all the dead soldiers, a single tear running down her cheek.

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Tswassen City, Vancouver
Jodi walked carefully through the marches surrounding Tswassen city, next to Laurent.
"Where... what...is this?" She asked him.
"It's..well.. It's Vancouver, but it's not." Laurent replied.
"Like a...transformation? Of what we know?" She asked.
He nodded.
Jodi walked towards a large bog.
"I'd avoid Burn's bog if I were you... it's not full of rabbits here." Laurent said softly.
Jodi laughed.
"what's in there? Blood sucking zombies?" She asked.
"Yes, actually." Laurent replied.
She shook her head.
They walked past the last building in Tswassen, and frowned.
"Feels funny here." Jodi said.
"Really?" Laurent asked.
Jodi nodded, and then tripped.
And fell.
Into... nothing.
Laurent jumped in after her.

Unknown area, unknown area.
Jodi fell onto a carefully crafted marble tiled floor.
Laurent fell ontop of her.
"Do you mind?" She asked.
"Sorry about that." Laurent replied, laughing a little.
"Where...are we?"Jodi said, as she got up.
Laurent looked around.
It was so dark, neither of them could see again.
Jodi turned around, and looked at a large glowing crystal that was behind her.
"Laurent..." She said softly.
He turned, and looked.
The room flared into brightness, as an infinite amount torches lit the infinite spaces surrounding them.
Jodi stared at the crystal, shocked.
The crystal glowed incredibly bright.
And then this strange creature showed up out of no where.
"What the hell is that?" Jodi asked.
"A crystal guardian. Most likely elementally based." Laurent replied.
Lauren looked at all the torches.
"Most likely FIRE based." Lauren corrected.
Laurent looked around, and nodded.
"You cannot control the flame. Leave now. Or be expelled." A deep angry voice said softly.
"I'm going home. I don't care what it takes." Jodi replied.
Laurent drew his bow off his back.
Jodi rested her hand on her sword hilt, finger twitching at the trigger.
The creature appeared, as a large ball of flame.
"Jodi... you can't physically damage it." Laurent said quietly.
Jodi nodded.
She thought back to 'her' childhood, reading through books and fairytails.
She opened her eyes, and smiled.
She concentrated solely on her right hand, and aimed it at the fireball-monster-thing.
"Shiverken." She whispered.
"What?" Laurent asked.
The entirety of infinity was filled with ice, and every torch went out.
The fireball creature simply vanished.
Laurent raised an eyebrow in the darkness.
Jodi turned to the crystal, and it shattered.
And they both fell.
And landed exactly where they were standing before they fell down the hole.
"Now I know how Alice felt, chasing the rabbit down the rabbit hole." Laurent said.
And then he ducked just in time to dodge a wild swing fro Jodi's gun-blade.