outworlder

[calledtoventure]

Relto is a small island rising out of a sea of mist. Four short wooden pillars stand to one side; to the other, a tiny hut has been built against an upspur of bare rock.

[Note: Due to party-related time dilation, this thread takes place before the arrival of OTC on the forum and the events of "austerity".]

Comments

[antiprojectionist]

A man with purple hair fades into existence and looks around.

"A bit bare, but serviceable."

[calledtoventure]

A second or two later, Ahrotahn appears as well. "Welcome to my Relto." She heads up the hill toward the hut.

[antiprojectionist]

Dr. Realist slouches along behind her.

"Your Relto? Are there other Reltos for other people?"

[calledtoventure]

"Yes, each person's Relto book goes to their own instance."

The inside of the hut features a wardrobe and two bookshelves. Ahrotahn goes to the left-hand shelf and takes down a book with a cover in a dusty blue.

"I realize you're not fond of magic, but it's hard to get around without Books. For what it's worth, the Art does seem to follow consistent rules, as far as anyone can tell."

[antiprojectionist]

"So long as I'm not obliged to travel between a lot of universes just to get anything done, I think I can cope." The corner of Dr. Realist's mouth curves up into a sardonic half-smile.

[calledtoventure]

"Just a few, to get started, I think. Once you're properly equipped and settled in, you'll be able to avoid it completely."

She pauses. "...Actually. If you want to —" She stops. "Hmm."

"Okay, I think I've got an idea. But first, do you still want to be able to use the forum while you're here? —I'm assuming you want to minimize the amount of Book-travel you need to do."

[antiprojectionist]

"You guess correctly."

[calledtoventure]

"All right. I'll be back in a minute or two." She replaces the blue book, selects a tan-brown one instead, and disappears. The book automatically retracts back into the shelf.



A minute or two later, she reappears in the hut. "Hi."

[antiprojectionist]

Dr. Realist is leaning against a wall. He waves lazily.

"Hello again."

[calledtoventure]

"I brought you a KI device. You can use it to access the forum, among other things." She hands him a round electronic device on a wide strap.

"Also, if you're not going to hang around the Cavern, you should probably have some money." She reaches behind the wardrobe, and retrieves a wad of bills and a handful of gold coins. "This should get you started, if you're conservative with your spending, and you can message me by KI or through the forum if you ever need help."

She hesitates. "Er. I don't want to seem like I'm kicking you out, or anything. I'd be happy to have you around. But the places I usually hang out in tend to involve more Book-travel than you seem to be comfortable with. I think you'll be happiest if you avoid the Cavern entirely, and set yourself up in town."

"I forget – are you originally from an Earth? I notice you seem to speak English."

[antiprojectionist]

"There are a lot of Earths, and a lot of them have English as a major language. It seemed prudent to learn. I am from an Earth, originally, but I spoke Japanese there."

He bows formally as he accepts the bills and the KI with both hands.

"Thank you very much. My accent's long since disappeared, of course, but I do remember a few things."

[calledtoventure]

"All right then." She takes down a golden-brown book, the spine marked with a green shape like a torn seam, and holds it open for him. The linking panel shows a desert landscape. "With any luck, this should be the last Book you ever need to use."

[antiprojectionist]

He smiles.

"Hopefully. I suppose I'll see you around."

He nods to her, then places his hand against the linking panel and vanishes.

[calledtoventure]

He arrives in a desert, just inside a gate in a low fence. Behind him, a dirt road comes to an end at the gate; in front of him, the ground rises to the caldera of a long-extinct volcano. The faint sound of music comes from the direction of a trailer in the distance.

His KI blinks with an incoming message:

The road will take you into town.

Good luck out there.

[antiprojectionist]

Good luck to you too.

He walks up to the gate, whistling tunelessly to himself, and clears it with a single nimble vault.

There is a whole world out there and none of it is moving on him. It is glorious.