An Adventure for the Ages

What do you call a fic that's not a fic

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lightwolf21
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Re: An Adventure for the Ages

Post by lightwolf21 »

Wow, this was a really good cliffhanger. O_o I can't wait to see what happens next.
Heh. Look at that... I started an actual Housepets! fan-fic.
https://www.housepetscomic.com/forums/v ... 70#p131370
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Re: An Adventure for the Ages

Post by Barkeron »

naylorfan90 wrote:
Sorry. It just sounded...harsh to me, I guess. :?
Perhaps I should had said more that just, "What is happening here." But really I mean no malicious intent or anything. :mrgreen:
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Re: An Adventure for the Ages

Post by copper »

Nice little tye-in to your babysitting story, and a great continuation of this one. I can't wait until you update next year! :lol:
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Re: An Adventure for the Ages

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----------------------------------------------------------------------------
“Peanut, come back!”

Grape ran after her best friend for a moment, before stopping as she realized that she couldn’t keep up. Slowing to a stop she watched his dwindle against the snowy background, before turning to the others. Fox, Max, and Sabrina stood with her, looking around unsure what to do, while Fido had joined his fellow police dogs to try to restore order.

“Guys, come on. If we cut through the woods we might be able to catch up with Peanut when he reaches the Gardens!” Grape turned and looked up at the pillar of light. A weight settled somewhere in her belly as she began to move, before someone grabbed her arm. She turned to see it was the husky, Fox. In the light of the green pillar his dog tags glinted strangely.

“Hold on a second, Cat. We don’t even know if Babylon Gardens is safe. I say we stay here and let the humans take care of things.”

Grape’s eyes narrowed and she jerked her arm free of his grip. “Stay here if you want, dog, but I’m not gonna let Peanut get in over his head trying to rescue his girlfriend on his own. Besides, you’re outnumbered here.”

“The dog’s a mutt,” Max said as he stepped to Grape’s side and folded his arms. “But he’s the good kind of mutt. I’m with Grape.”

“So am I,” Sabrina said as she mirrored Max, going to Grape’s other side.
Fox groaned and looked over at the nearby Fido for help. The police dog, seeing that officer Kevin was running thing well enough, rejoined the group. “Cats or not, they do bring up a good point. Animals are going to be panicking over there just as they are here, so I have to go.” Fido made a point of not looking in Sabrina’s direction as he spoke. “Besides, Bino’s still in the Gardens. Jerk or not, he’s my brother.”

Fox saw that he was outmatched and sighed, shaking his head. “Fine, suit yourself. I’ll help Fido look for his brother then. Can’t let you cats corner the market on sticking together.”

Satisfied, Grape turned and began leading the group to the woods, before hearing Fox’s voice again. “Hey, where’s King?”

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Peanut had just reached the main street of Babylon Gardens when a glowing blue portal opened up ahead of him and King popped out. Peanut gave a yelp of surprise and ran into the corgi, sending both dogs tumbling to the ground. Peanut landed face down on his belly, and King rolled a bit before stopping on his back with a dazed expression and a mumbled “ouch.”

Spitting a glob of half-melted snow from his muzzle, Peanut lifted himself up onto his hands and looked over at King in shock. “Holy cow King! You never told me you could teleport!”

“And I never meant for you to find out either...ow...”King groaned and rolled onto his sides, before climbing to his feet with a grunt. “I meant to appear a bit behind you and make it seem like I caught up the normal way. By the way...” He walked over to Peanut and helped him to his feet. “Don’t tell anyone about it, ya got me?”

“Yeah yeah, sure.” Peanut brushed off some snow from his fur. “So, is it some kinda psychic power like what Tarot does, or-TAROT!”

Peanut turned away to begin running down the street again before King grabbed him by the arm. “Hold on there, partner! You don’t know what you’re getting yourself into!”

Peanut turned back to King with tears in his eyes. “I don’t care either! Tarot is in danger, I just know it! And the wolf cubs too!”

King nodded in understanding, but didn’t let go. “I understand that. I’m worried about them too. But if we go in half-cocked we might be putting ourselves into more danger than whatever we’re saving them from. I know, I used to be an expert on getting myself into more trouble than I expected. Besides,” King held up a paw. A portal appeared beside them. “There are faster ways to travel.”

“Oh that is so cool.”

Peanut grinned and backed up a few steps, and then with a running start leapt through the portal. A strange sensation, like passing through an ultra-thin sheet of icy water, passed over him, and suddenly Peanut found himself standing outside Miles and Lucretia’s house. From this close he could see the pillar of light was positioned directly over the house, emanating from it like the beam of light from a lighthouse. Peanut felt his fur stand on edge at the sight of it.

The next moment King appeared beside him through the portal. The corgi joined Peanut in gaping up at the light, before he shook his head and grabbed the stunned dog by the collar. “Come on, there’s no time to waste!”

“Uh, r-right.” Together Peanut and King rushed to the front door. It was unlocked and they entered, Peanut taking the lead. It didn’t take much searching at all to find what they were looking for. Peanut gasped as they entered the living room and found Tarot and the wolf cubs collapsed on the floor in a rough circle. All their eyes glowed green, the same way Tarot’s did whenever she was using her powers. Tarot herself lay in the center, her whole body surrounded by an aura of green energy.

“Tarot!” Peanut rushed to her body and kneeled down beside it. Reaching a paw out to touch her he yelped as the aura sent a jolt of pain through him. He quickly pulled his paw back and looked at it. There was a slight burn where his fingers had made contact with the energy.

“It must be some kind of...defense mechanism,” King spoke softly as he moved to stand beside Peanut. “Or...she lost control of her power, and can’t stop it from hurting you.”

Peanut sniffled and felt tears gathering in his eyes. He continued looking down at Tarot's prone form and felt the tears begin to stream down his face. “Whu-what are we gonna do? Tarot needs help, I can feel it...and Miles and Lucretia are gonna be horrified if they find their cubs like this...”

King didn’t know what to say. This was completely out of line with the general game strategy the Spirit Dragon had laid out to him, and try as he might he couldn't seem to reach her, or the Great Kitsune. Kneeling down he brushed a paw over Tarot’s head, brushing some loose strands of hair from her eyes. His eyes looked into hers for a moment, and then moved further down to her chest, to the Eye of Horus tag on her collar. King snapped his fingers and grinned. “No worries Peanut. I know just the cat for the job...”

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Sabrina sneezed and wiped at her nose with her paw.

Walking beside her Max chuckled and tapped Sabrina on the shoulder. “Someone must be thinking about ya. Got someone pining for ya, darling?”

Fido’s uneasy flinch as he led the group went unnoticed. Sabrina rolled her eyes and gave the black tomcat a light shove. “Oh please Max. Like there’s anyone in Babylon Gardens who could interest me.”

“Of course, silly me. You’d be too busy delving into forgotten lore and peering at tarot cards, no pun intended. Any male in his right mind would be scared off right away.”

Behind the pair of quarreling cats went Fox and Grape, bringing up the rear of the group. Fox hopped over a downed branch and shook his head at the voices of Max and Sabrina. “Good grief. They sound like an old married couple.”
Grape chuckled softly, raising her head up to look forward at Max and Sabrina and then at Fox. “Doesn’t surprise me. They used to be a couple. Not anymore though.”

“Oh.” Fox jumped a fence along with the others and shrugged. Heh, I pretty much thought so. I have a knack for guessing relationships and whatnot.”

“Oh, how...” Grape searched her mind for the right word. “...interesting. So anyway, yeah they used to be boyfriend and girlfriend, but split up a while ago. Don’t know why, and frankly I don’t really care. As long as Max keeps calling me hun I’ll be happy.”

Fox nearly stumbled in his tracks and snapped his head to look at her, eyes wide in surprise. “Wait, you and Max? I thought you and Peanut were...”

Grape frowned, even as a light blush colored her cheeks. “You thought wrong then, dog. Peanut and I are best friends, but that’s it. There’s as much between us as there is between you and that corgi you hang around with.”

Fox’s face blanched, and he sped up a tad. Grape giggled and followed along close behind. It was fun making the dog's face go that color. As he and Grape crested a hill Fox barely kept himself from running into the stopped form of Max standing in front of him. He backed away a step and shook his head. “Hey, what’re you...oh...”

Fido, Max, Sabrina, Fox, and Grape looked down at Babylon Gardens in silence. From the hill they stood on at the edge of the woods they could finally see the darkness spreading out from the pillar. Along with this a strange feeling hung in the air; like the feeling of static electricity charging the atmosphere before the lightning begins.

Fido frowned as he noticed something, and turned to look at the others “There’s no one around. I can’t see anyone on the streets, human or otherwise. They must already be evacuated, or hiding in their homes....”

“Well that’s all fine and good,” Max broke in as he stepped forward with his paws on his hips. He turned in a circle once to look at the others. “But that doesn’t get us any closer to figuring out what’s going on.”

“No, it doesn’t.” Fido turned his gaze back down to their community again. At that moment he really wished he had his K-9 gear with him, or at least a walkie-talkie to that he could get in-touch with the rest of his unit, or his owner. “Well, any ideas gang?”

At that moment a portal appeared beside Sabrina and a tan-furred arm reached out to her. “I have one. Get to the wolves’ house ASAP. Also, yoink!”
The paw at the end of the arm grabbed Sabrina by the arm and began to pull her into the portal. Before it could disappear fully however Grape charged forward and grabbed it by the wrist. With a grunt and a yank she pulled until King was leaning out to the waist. A snarl on her lips, Grape brought her face within an inch of King’s shocked face and hissed four words.

“Take. Us. To. Peanut.”

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Everyone sat in the Wolves’ living room, watching Sabrina in silence. The black cat sat kneeled next to Tarot with her eyes closed, one paw pressed to the Pomeranian’s forehead, and the other gripped tightly to her ankh. Tarot and the cubs had been left where they had been found on the floor, except for blankets placed over them to help keep their immobile bodies from getting too cold.

After what had felt like hours to the waiting pets, Sabrina opened her eyes and sighed. “So that’s what happened...”

Peanut jumped up from the couch he, Grape, and Max had been sitting on and rushed over to Sabrina and Tarot’s side. “What, what happened?”

Sabrina looked up from the comatose Tarot to Peanut’s face, and then to the others waiting for answers. She sighed and stood up. “Well, as Peanut, Grape, and Max know, Tarot can alter small pockets of reality for entertainment purposes; sorta like a holodeck from Star Trek. Anyways, while she was looking over the wolf cubs for King, they wanted to go on an adventure with this.”

“And why is that a bad thing,” Fox cut in. “I mean, something like going on a real adventure with, say, Superman or Captain Jack Sparrow would be awesome. Just imagine it!”

Sabrina nodded in agreement with this but frowned. “That’s sort of the problem. The reality warp draws on the imagination of its participants to know what to do. However, the imaginative power of a child is MAGNITUDES greater than an adult’s, or even a teen’s, imaginative power. With three such imaginations each trying to assert its own ideas on the ‘game’ reality, it overflowed. Badly. Like trying to fill a measuring cup with a fire hose.”

Silence fell as Sabrina finished speaking and went to sit on the other couch, with Fox, King, and Fido. Peanut stayed kneeled down next to Tarot. A frown marred his face as he thought. “So what you’re saying is...Tarot isn’t in control? She can’t do anything to stop this?”

Sabrina shrugged. “I’m not an expert on this, I’m just a beginner compared to Tarot. If I had to guess though, I’d say that the imagination feedback weaved them into the very fabric of whatever ‘game’ they were doing. With no active participants to ‘finish’ the game, it’s gone autopilot.”

It was Grape who spoke up next. “Then what if we went in to finish it for them? Would they be saved?”

“Hmm...” Sabrina stood back up from the couch and paced. “Yeah, yeah that could work...yeah!” Sabrina turned to Grape and grinned. “With King’s portal powers, I think I might be able to forge a connection to the game world. Then you guys could go in, finish the game, and rescue Tarot and the cubs! We can do this!”

“Hold on hold on hold on!”

Everyone looked at Fox as he stood up from the couch, waving his paws in front of him. The husky looked at all of them with an odd look. “I don’t remember volunteering for some kind of rescue party to an alternate universe or whatever!” He pointed at Grape, Peanut, and Max. “They’re the ones who you said had prior experience with this sorta thing, let them sort it out.”

Fox turned to go, before a strong paw gripped him by the shoulder. He turned to see Fido looking at him. ‘Fox, hold on a moment. I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but if you’d look up at the energy pillar you would see that our world’s being affected by whatever’s going on. I want to go make sure my brothers are safe, and I’m sure that there are people that YOU want to make sure are safe, but if we don’t handle this thing now, I have the feeling that soon enough no one will be safe. So please, help us with this.”

Fox stayed silent a moment, looking at the other dog, and then he sighed and looked over at Sabrina. “Okay. What do we have to do to do this thing?”

Sabrina let loose a sigh of relief and smiled. “Everyone, get in a circle around Tarot and hold paws. King, you stand next to Tarot with me.”

Everyone moved to follow her instructions. Once everyone was in place Sabrina smiled again and nodded. “Okay, good. I’ll be staying in this world, running mission control for all of you. There’s no telling what kind of adventure the different cubs were going for, so I can’t tell you what to expect.”

“In other words,” Max spoke up, “be really, really careful.”

Sabrina nodded, and then began. Carefully placing her left paw on Tarot’s forehead, Sabrina spoke a word in some unknown language and to several startled gasps her left eye suddenly took on a green glow like Tarot’s when she used her power. She placed her right paw on King’s forehead and said another ancient word, and suddenly her right eye shone a fiery red.
When next she spoke, it sounded as if she spoke with her voice, Tarot’s voice, and King’s voice at once. “Be sure to...keep a firm hold...the trip may be...bumpy...”

A sudden flash of light, a crack of thunder, and Peanut, Grape, Max, Fox, Fido, and King all screamed as their bodies were ripped through the dimensional thread.
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Re: An Adventure for the Ages

Post by copper »

This is starting to sound very familiar. On an unrelated note, This is starting to sound like tron or that last Spy Kids movie. Nice. 8-)
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Re: An Adventure for the Ages

Post by Blue Braixen »

Wow. I can't wait to see what crazy things await them in "The Dream Universe". DUNDUNDUN
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Re: An Adventure for the Ages

Post by valerio »

The tension is building...killing us...
MORE! 8-) 8-)
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Re: An Adventure for the Ages

Post by Penwrite »

copper wrote:This is starting to sound very familiar. On an unrelated note, This is starting to sound like tron or that last Spy Kids movie. Nice. 8-)
Thanks! XD I've actually taken a lot of inspiration from Tron and Tron: Legacy; I couldn't help it, I'm a fan! :ugeek: I'm afraid updates may start taking longer from now on; I'm starting my next semester of college Tuesday, so I'll be a lot busier with other stuff. :?
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Re: An Adventure for the Ages

Post by Penwrite »

Tha Housedog wrote:Wow. I can't wait to see what crazy things await them in "The Dream Universe". DUNDUNDUN
Ooh! I've been wracking my brain trying to think of a good name for the place! I like it!
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Re: An Adventure for the Ages

Post by Blue Braixen »

naylorfan90 wrote:
Tha Housedog wrote:Wow. I can't wait to see what crazy things await them in "The Dream Universe". DUNDUNDUN
Ooh! I've been wracking my brain trying to think of a good name for the place! I like it!
That's awesome, seeing as I was just being silly! :lol:
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Re: An Adventure for the Ages

Post by Penwrite »

valerio wrote:The tension is building...killing us...
MORE! 8-) 8-)
*giggles* Thanks! :D
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Re: An Adventure for the Ages

Post by EmoPeanut »

What? No updates? UPADTE UPDATE UPDATE UPDATE UPADTE UPDATE UPDATE UPDATE!

ME DON'T CARE IF OYU GO TO COLLEGE! ME WANT UPDATE!
Im crazy......WAFFLES!!!
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Re: An Adventure for the Ages

Post by Blue Braixen »

EmoPeanut wrote:What? No updates? UPADTE UPDATE UPDATE UPDATE UPADTE UPDATE UPDATE UPDATE!

ME DON'T CARE IF OYU GO TO COLLEGE! ME WANT UPDATE!
Way to be considerate, EP. Naylor, just focus on getting whatever you want/need to get done for college, and update this when you feel like you can.
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Re: An Adventure for the Ages

Post by EmoPeanut »

It was a joke. Do whatever you need to do.

But it was a joke.
Im crazy......WAFFLES!!!
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Re: An Adventure for the Ages

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Just curious, what are y'all expecting to happen next?
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Re: An Adventure for the Ages

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naylorfan90 wrote:Just curious, what are y'all expecting to happen next?
What was posted in The Wild Mass Guessing thread...
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Re: An Adventure for the Ages

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----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Peanut came back to consciousness. The first thing he felt was the strangest sensation of floating. As much as he tried, which wasn’t much, he couldn’t manage much worry over this. It felt so...peaceful to him, as if there were nothing to rush over in the world. The next sensation t hit him brought a smile to his muzzle, as a powerful wind whipped along all over his body, caressing his fur. To Peanut it felt like whenever he stuck his head out of the car window as it sped along, but over all his body...

Peanut opened his eyes and saw the snow-blanketed ground rushing up towards him.

“Oh @$#%!”

Peanut screamed and flailed his arms in overwhelming terror. The sudden movement sent him spinning head over heels, his ears and tail getting thrashed around by the wind. “No no no no no NOOOO-”

Peanut smashed into the snow with a deafening thud that drove the breath from him. Before he knew what was happening his limb body rebounded and began rolling down the steeply sloped surface. His paws scrabbled at the ground for some kind of handhold, but the ground was too frozen, he couldn’t dig his nails in.

A bump of a hill sent Peanut up into the air for a brief moment, and in that moment he spotted that the bottom of the slope suddenly ended in a sheer drop not 50 feet further down. He screamed again and felt hot tears stain his face as he crashed back down and resumed rolling.

40 feet; still rolling.

30 feet; Peanut yips in pain as a sudden roll makes a shoulder twist the wrong way.

20 feet; the frozen root of some long-forgotten tree jabs his back and Peanut instantly twists, grabbing hold of it with one paw.

10 feet; the root snaps, sending Peanut tumbling faster, his twisted shoulder now throbbing with pain.

0 feet; Peanut throws both arms out in a final desperate attempt to save himself. The world flips around him as he goes over the edge, but he manages to grab hold of the very lip of the cliff edge and hold on.

“HEEEELP!” Peanut squeezed his eyes shut, refusing to look down, refusing to see his legs kicking as he held onto the cliff edge for dear life. A crackling sound filled the air, and Peanut opened his eyes and saw the stone around his fingers cracking and breaking. Chinks appeared, bits of stone and ice falling away. A few chunks hit against Peanut’s face as he looked left and right for anything to grab hold of. Tears began to well up in his eyes. “Someone...please help me! HELP!”

“Peanut, hold on!”

The sound of feet skidding to a halt in the snow above him caught Peanut’s attention, and he looked up to see Fido and King standing at the edge of the cliff. “Fido, King, help!”

Fido got on his knees and grabbed hold of Peanut’s forearms, and then turned to look at King over his shoulder. “Grab hold of my waist and help me pull!” The corgi did so, and with a grunt the pair managed to heave Peanut back up over the ledge.

As soon as he was back on solid ground Peanut collapsed onto his side and grabbed at his left shoulder in pain. “Nnngh, it hurts!”

“Hold still!” Fido dropped to his knees beside Peanut and gently pulled Peanut’s paw away from the shoulder. The police dog examined it for a moment, before turning to look Peanut in the eyes. “It’s dislocated. I can fix this, but it’s going to hurt worse than anything you’ve ever experienced. I’m gonna need you to just lie still a moment and relax, okay?”

Peanut looked up at Fido through tear-filled eyes and nodded weakly. Fido nodded back and turned to King. “Give me your collar.” King quickly took his collar off and handed it to Fido, who in turn held it out to Peanut. “You’ll want to bite down on this.”

Peanut whimpered and folded his ears back, but obeyed and took the piece of thick leather in-between his teeth. He quickly jerked his head in a nod to Fido, to signal that he was ready. Fido sighed and, taking a deep breath, gripped Peanut’s left forearm with one paw and braced his other against Peanut’s side. The police dog hesitated a moment; it had been a while since training, and he hadn’t needed to do this since then. He may have it all wrong, or make things wor-

“Fff, Fthido...”

Fido looked down at Peanut as the other dog spoke his name. Peanut did his best to smile. After a moment Fido smiled back, and before the doubts could creep back he pulled on the arm with all his strength. A loud popping sound resounded, and Peanut bit down hard on King’s collar and let loose a muffled scream. He kicked his legs a couple times, his free paw pounding at the ground beside him, before slowly the screaming quieted down to exhausted sobs.

King moved to sit down beside Peanut as Fido sighed in relief and leaned back. The corgi looked over at him. “Is he going to be okay?”

Fido was silent for a moment, before slowly standing up and looking around them. King followed his gaze. In all directions other than the cliff edge uncomfortably close beside them, a snowy wasteland stretched out all around them for as far as the eye could see. The sky above, from which they fell, was blanketed with clouds a dull, dead grey. To their collective right the slope stretched up, going higher than any of them could see from where they were at the bottom.

Fido took all this in, and then looked back down at Peanut. The battered dog had fallen into a weary sleep, his chest rising and falling evenly. A harsh wind blew, and Fido held up an arm to shield his eyes. “King, if we don’t get out of this weather, none of us are going to be okay.”

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Grape opened her eyes and found herself alone, on her back, looking up at steel-blue ceiling shining with pinpricks of silver line in neat rows. Memories of all that had happened in the last hour or so, the party at the Milton mansion, the pillar of light, Tarot’s peril, crashed down on her and she sat up with a gasp. Her spine protested the sudden movement, and with a little eep she collapsed back down on the flat bunk-like surface she found herself lying on. Around her, the steel-blue walls pulsed with lines of silver light.

Sudden movement to her right caught Grape’s attention, as a section of the wall slid open and a figure walked through it into the room. He was a cat, with deep black fur except for the tips of his ears and an oblong patch over his left eye. Both irises glowed crimson, with tiny flecks of scarlet that shimmered in the silver light of the room. A silver medallion-shaped piece of metal sat latched to the center of his chest.

When the strange cat noticed Grape awake and staring, he gave a tired smile. “Oh, you’re awake. That’s good, I was getting worried.”

He began to walk over towards her, but Grape flipped up onto her feet and hissed, unsheathing her claws. “Stay right there. Where am I, who are you, how’d I get here?”

The cat didn’t seem too worried as he kept going and sat on the bunk beside her. “You can call me Velon. As for where you are, you’re on the Grand Supercruiser, of the Warlord Leviathan. And as for how you got here...I don’t know. I found you unconscious on the hull, so I brought you here to recuperate.”

Grape sighed and flopped back down on the bunk. “Sounds like the setup for a lazy video game...that doesn’t actually surprise me, with the kinds of games those cubs played...”

Velon sat silently beside her a moment, looking at her. Grape noticed this and frowned. “What are you looking at?”

Velon flinched, as if shocked out of a daydream, and turned away. “Nothing. I’m looking at nothing.” A moment later he looked back at her. “Where did you come from?”

Grape turned her gaze back to the ceiling and her frown grew. For a moment she considered telling the cat beside her that she was playing some kind of altered reality game and that he was just a figment of imagination, but quickly discarded that idea. Even if it wasn’t really real, an ally on an apparent warlord’s ship would be useful. So instead she looked over at him and grinned a rather Peanuty grin. “Antarctica. I was fighting cyborgs!”

Velon flinched, and looked like he was about to say something, before a growling voice from the doorway made them both jump. “So here is where you have been hiding.” A wolf in dark blue armor with glowing silver lines it strode through the room and grabbed Velon by the neck, lifting him without struggle to his feet. “You are 10.5826 seconds late to your shift in the engine room, prisoner Velon. Your tardy record has been noted, and command has selected you for the gladiator arena in 7.3714 hours. Will you comply?”

“Yes, I comply,” Velon responded.

The wolf, a guard it seemed to Grape, set Velon back down, and then snapped his gaze to her. She flinched and shifted a few inches away on the bunk. The guard continued looking at her for a moment, and then snapped his attention back to Velon. “Who is the female?”

“She’s, she’s uh...”

“Grape,” she cut in, jumping up off the bunk and striding to Velon’s side. She looked the guard over and frowned. “I’m a worker, like Velon. Do they not have me listed or something?”

The room stayed silent for nearly a minute, and Grape began thinking that her little lie wasn’t going to be enough. Finally however the guard turned and left, speaking as he did so. “Prisoner Grape shall be added to the database. You shall report to the gladiator arena with Velon. That is all.” Then the wall slid shut.

Once they were alone, Velon collapsed backwards onto the bunk with a tired groan. Grape looked down at him with a worried frown. “Hey, are you okay? I’m really sorry if I got you in trouble...or something...”

“I was in trouble the moment I got here,” he replied back. Then he let out a chuckle and looked up at her. “Grape huh? I guess it’s a pleasure to meet you.”

“Likewise.” Grape lay down beside Velon on the uncomfortable slab and stared up at the ceiling like he was. After a few seconds she spoke again. “So you’re a prisoner, huh? How’d that happen?”

Velon stayed silent, turning away from her onto his side. Grape’s eyes narrowed in annoyance, but she didn’t push it. If he wanted to have his secrets, it didn’t matter. With a huff she mirrored him, turning away and curling into a barely comfortable position on the bunk to sleep.

As she closed her eyes, already drifting off, Velon spoke something that made her freeze. “I was found unconscious on the hull...”

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Max woke up and yawned. Looking around he found himself in a cave, lying on a patch of moss for a makeshift bed. A few feet away to his right, closer to the cave entrance, a small fire crackled and sent shadows dancing on the cave walls.

Fox looked up from tending the fire and waved. “Oh good, you’re awake. Good timing, dinner’s almost ready.”

Max got up and streeeetched, yawning again. “Of course, Dog, we cats always have good timing with naps.” Done stretching he walked over to the fire and sat down on the opposite side of it from Fox and looked at the sticks with...meat, cooking over it. “Okay, where are we, and what is that?”

Fox carefully picked up a stick from the fire and bit a piece of meat off of it. “Squirrel,” he answered, and then rolled his eyes when Max’s face blanched. “Calm down. Sabrina sent us into a game, remember? They’re not real or anything.”

After a moment’s more of hesitation, Max sighed and picked up a stick for himself. “Whatever. I hate forest levels. Almost as much as ice levels.”

Fox chuckled. “It’s levels set in spaceships that I hate the most. You’re always having to play either some kinda rookie who turns out to be an ace, or a prisoner having to escape, you know? Very unrealistic”

“Yeah...” Max chewed on a piece of meat and frowned. “That reminds me...somehow...where are the others? Grape, Peanut, Fido, that...uh, short...brownish guy?”

“King,” Fox answered with an annoyed look. “Of all the cats to get stuck with...to answer your question, I have no idea where they are. They weren’t around when I woke up during the fall.” At Max’s confused look Fox stood up and motioned for him to follow, before walking over to the cave entrance.

Max followed him to a few feet outside the cave. It was night out, and much of the surrounding area was shrouded in shadow, making it hard to see details even for Max. A large, ragged hole in the thick overhead canopy let in a beam of light onto the jungle floor, and it was it this that Fox pointed. “When I woke up, we were falling through the sky. I guess that’s how we enter this place, from the sky.”

“So you think the others accidently separated from us, fell somewhere else in this jungle?”

Fox shrugged. “Maybe...” After a moment of thought the husky shrugged and grinned, clapping a paw on Max’s shoulder. “Hey, no worries Cat. You'll be back safe to your girlfriend in no time.”

“Gee, I feel better already.” Max turned and headed back into the cave, curling up next to the fire for warmth. Fox joined him, and Max sighed. “So let’s review. Lost in a jungle, no idea where Grape and the others are, and no idea how to start looking for Tarot and the cubs, the only reason we’re on this adventure. Did I get everything?”

“Yeah, I think so.” Fox chuckled and lay down himself, turning so his back was to the fire and he was watching the entrance. “Still, don’t worry too much. It’s like my old owner used to say; wait until daylight, and everything will look better.”

Max raised an eyebrow at that, and opened his mouth to speak, before shutting it at the sound of soft snoring. Fox had fallen asleep, leaving him to watch the fire.

“Stupid dog,” Max muttered, before shaking his head and shifting into a more comfortable position. He looked at the dog a moment, before sighing and laughing softly to himself. “Just my luck to be stuck with the one dog who knows how to start a fire and hunt.” His laughing died, and his gaze turned to the cave entrance, and beyond it into the jungle beyond. “Grape, please be having a more awesome time in this game than I am. Be stuck in Pridelands or something...

Fox’s snoring grew louder, shaking Max from his thoughts. The cat groaned and covered his ears. It was going to be a long night...
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Re: An Adventure for the Ages

Post by valerio »

Aaaand, the game is on!
Absolutely fantastic, this is going to be SO adrenalinic!
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Re: An Adventure for the Ages

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valerio wrote:Aaaand, the game is on!
Absolutely fantastic, this is going to be SO adrenalinic!
*blushes and grins* Thanks! Also, "adrenalinic" is now my new favorite word. :)
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Re: An Adventure for the Ages

Post by Blue Braixen »

Whoa! The epicnicity of this is astounding! :lol:
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Re: An Adventure for the Ages

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Tha Housedog wrote:Whoa! The epicnicity of this is astounding! :lol:
*giggles* Thanks! I sure wrote a big CLIFFHANGER, didn't I?
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Re: An Adventure for the Ages

Post by Blue Braixen »

naylorfan90 wrote:
Tha Housedog wrote:Whoa! The epicnicity of this is astounding! :lol:
*giggles* Thanks! I sure wrote a big CLIFFHANGER, didn't I?
Now you're reaching.
(But yes it was good)
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Re: An Adventure for the Ages

Post by Penwrite »

Tha Housedog wrote:
naylorfan90 wrote:
Tha Housedog wrote:Whoa! The epicnicity of this is astounding! :lol:
*giggles* Thanks! I sure wrote a big CLIFFHANGER, didn't I?
Now you're reaching.
(But yes it was good)
Reaching? I'm not sure what that means...
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Re: An Adventure for the Ages

Post by copper »

Very tongue-in-cheek there, naylorfan. I wonder why Peanut is the only one to get hurt falling in the sky. Foreshadowing, perhaps.
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Re: An Adventure for the Ages

Post by Barkeron »

valerio wrote: this is going to be SO adrenalinic!
Hmmmm, this. And great chappy there, naylor. Also your cliffhangers are adrenalinic. *Get some looks* What? Its a compliment.
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Re: An Adventure for the Ages

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Barkeron wrote:
valerio wrote: this is going to be SO adrenalinic!
Hmmmm, this. And great chappy there, naylor. Also your cliffhangers are adrenalinic. *Get some looks* What? Its a compliment.
Thanks, Barkeron. I just love getting feedback from y'all. :)
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Re: An Adventure for the Ages

Post by The Broken Fox »

Oooh, great story so far! :D

And just the right amount of hints of what's ahead... ;) Keep it coming!
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Re: An Adventure for the Ages

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----------------------------------------------------------------------------

The morning sunlight splashed onto Peanut’s face like spray of cold water. The canine jerked awake and looked around in a panic, not recognizing where he was at all. He lay in a simple cot, like one he used once when camping, with a worn-out blanket and no pillow. The room itself was mostly bare, wooden walls and no real floor; just dirt flattened and nearly rock-like. A single door, also wood, sat in the wall to his left. Aside from two other cots next to his, nothing else was in the room.

Peanut sat up and tried to remember how he could’ve gotten where he was. The last thing he could remember was pain as Fido put his shoulder back into place, and then...simple unconsciousness, he guessed. At the memory of his shoulder’s dislocation a feeling of phantom pain made him shiver and rub at his shoulder. That was an experience he knew he did not want to go through again!

After a few minutes of sitting there thinking, Peanut looked up at the door as an absolutely delicious smell wafted in from somewhere beyond it. Standing up from his cot Peanut tiptoed over to the door as quietly as he could, taking deep sniffs of the air as he went. Whatever was cooking, it made the newly awoken canine’s mouth water and his stomach grumble. Not hesitating a moment he opened the door and stepped through.

King looked away from the fire he was tending in the cabin’s hearth and smiled when he saw a worn-looking Peanut walk out from the small bedroom area. Standing up King shook some loose dust from the hearth off of his legs and waved at Peanut. “Hey Peanut, good morning man! Good to see you awake.”

“Thanks, King...” Peanut staggered over to a rough-hewn chair and collapsed down onto it. Now that he was up and walking about, Peanut was beginning to feel stiff and bruised all over.

Some of this must have appeared on his face, as the next moment King was next to him, pushing a plate of warm biscuits and bacon into his paws. “Here, eat up man. You took quite a beating yesterday on that slope. We all did.”

Peanut grinned in appreciation and took a bite of a biscuit. It was good. “Thanks. If you and Fido hadn’t been there...anyway, just thanks.” Peanut looked down at King, and King looked back up at Peanut. Their eyes met, and something passed between them. Something changed in the relationship. And then the moment passed, and King looked away as Peanut went back to eating. After finishing off a second biscuit though he began to talk again.

“So where did the food come from? And where are we anyway?”

King went back to the hearth and tended to the fire as he answered. “Well for starters, we seem to be in an ice level in this ‘dream universe’. After you fell unconscious yesterday, Fido and I began working our way up the slope, looking for shelter. Someone must like us up there, or you must be the luckiest dog in the world, because we stumbled upon this place just as night began to fall and a storm picked up. The cellar’s loaded up with food and all kinds of other supplies, so we settled in for the night. Which reminds me...”

King turned to a hatch in the floor which Peanut just noticed. “Hey Fido! Peanut’s awake, get up here!” No answer came, which made King frown. “Fido? You okay down there?”

Silence, and then, “Yeah, yeah I’m fine. I just...I think I found something.”

Peanut and King watched as Fido climbed up out of the cellar with some difficulty, a silvery metal plate gripped in one paw. He shut the hatch and then walked over to the table Peanut sat at. “I found this, hidden behind some crates,” Fido said, setting the metal plate face-side up on the table. It was perfectly circular in shape, about the size of a Frisbee, with the symbol for eternity carved into the top. “I thought it might be important.”

King left the hearth and joined them at the table. “So...what is it?”

Peanut traced a finger over the infinity symbol, thinking. “I don’t know...but I have an idea, let me just try something...” Peanut closed his eyes and concentrated, as he did when trying to contact Tarot. “Sabrina? Peanut to Sabrina, come in Sabrina!”

No answer came for a moment, and then a weak groaning sound echoed through Peanut’s mind. “Ow, my head...sorry Peanut, I lost consciousness for a moment there. I’m fine now. Are you guys all in the Game World? What’s it like?”

“I think we all made it, but we have no idea where Grape, Fox, or Max are. Also it’s really cold and snowy where we are.” To the waiting King and Fido Peanut said “I’m contacting Sabrina, she’ll know what to do.”

The next moment, all three canines heard Sabrina in their mind. “I’ll try contacting the others in a moment. From what I can tell, the Game World is a multi-tiered universal helix, representing levels in a game. Right now you three are in a Medieval-times snow world.”

“Ugh, I hate snow levels,” King chimed in. “But right now we need to know something. Fido found some kind of metal Frisbee or whatever with the infinity symbol on its side, what’s it do?”

“Um...have you tried saying infinity?”

All three dogs looked at each other, and then down at the metal plate. Peanut gave it a poke. “Um...infinity?”

The effect was instantaneous. The infinity symbol glowed a blinding green, before a green apparition of Tarot appeared over the surface of it, looking at them. “Greetings, Travelers! I’m a Tarot Disc, how may I help?”

Peanut eeped and fell out of his chair, King facepalmed, and Fido experimentally waved a paw through the image. In their minds Sabrina chuckled. “Sneaky little Pomeranian, I knew she’d find a way to help out somehow. Listen guys, and this means you Peanut, don’t get your hopes up. That’s not REALLY the Tarot we all know and love. It’s a, well, game mechanic you could call it, a little bit of her power and knowledge localized to help players on their way. Ask it questions, maybe it’ll know what you need to do. While you do that, I’ll try getting into contact with the others.”

Sabrina went silent. Peanut climbed back up into his seat and looked at the image of a smiling Tarot. “Not really her...”

Feeling a paw grip his shoulder Peanut looked over at Fido, who gave a nod. “Go on, you can ask the questions. I’m a bit outa my expertise here anyway.”

Getting a similar nod from King, Peanut sighed and looked back at the image of Tarot. He knew he had to handle this right. If it was a mechanic of the game, then he would have to talk in game terms. “Tarot Disc, what are the level objectives, and what is the game mythos?”

It turned to look at Peanut and smiled hollowly. “In this level, the powerful baron ruling over this frozen land rules with an iron fist. Atop this mountain his fortress lies, and to break his power, the Artifact of Destiny he controls must be taken.”

“What is the Artifact of Destiny,” Peanut asked.

“A small statue of a wolf cub,” was the reply, and then the image of Tarot flickered and vanished.

Peanut looked up from the disc to King and Fido and saw the same thought reflected in their eyes; the statue must be one of the cubs. Picking up the disc Peanut took a strap lying on the table, fashioned a holder for the disc, and then slipped it onto his collar before standing.

“Well, I guess we have a mountain to climb and a fortress to find.”
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Re: An Adventure for the Ages

Post by copper »

Well now we know the game. I'd like to know the mythos of the forest level, though.

:lol: Peanut is such a gamer.

I loved the update. Can't wait for the next one.
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Re: An Adventure for the Ages

Post by Penwrite »

copper wrote:Well now we know the game. I'd like to know the mythos of the forest level, though.

:lol: Peanut is such a gamer.

I loved the update. Can't wait for the next one.
Thanks, Copper.
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Re: An Adventure for the Ages

Post by valerio »

WOWOWOWOW!! This stry is becoming progressively interesting and addicting just like any good videogame would be!
Keep it up! Update soon! I WANT MORE! (also, someone develope a game out of this, wanna play!!!)
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Re: An Adventure for the Ages

Post by Penwrite »

valerio wrote:WOWOWOWOW!! This stry is becoming progressively interesting and addicting just like any good videogame would be!
Keep it up! Update soon! I WANT MORE! (also, someone develope a game out of this, wanna play!!!)
*blushes and smiles* You do me too much honor. Also, your avatar is awesome.
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Re: An Adventure for the Ages

Post by EmoPeanut »

Dream realm?

Naylorfan did you watch Inception? just curious.

But all in all.... EPIC
And six out of six smiles :D :D :D :D :D :D
Im crazy......WAFFLES!!!
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Re: An Adventure for the Ages

Post by The Broken Fox »

Great update! :P Things are getting interesting now...

The whole game like world gives this story a unique setting, and that's very refreshing! It makes reading a lot of fun. Just please, no Quick Time Events!
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Re: An Adventure for the Ages

Post by Penwrite »

EmoPeanut wrote:Dream realm?

Naylorfan did you watch Inception? just curious.

But all in all.... EPIC
And six out of six smiles :D :D :D :D :D :D
*blinks* Um...maybe... :)
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Re: An Adventure for the Ages

Post by Penwrite »

The Broken Fox wrote:Great update! :P Things are getting interesting now...

The whole game like world gives this story a unique setting, and that's very refreshing! It makes reading a lot of fun. Just please, no Quick Time Events!
What about stuff that would look awesome as Quick Time Events? :P
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Re: An Adventure for the Ages

Post by The Broken Fox »

naylorfan90 wrote:What about stuff that would look awesome as Quick Time Events? :P
Well... :? But only if it's really awesome! :P I guess based on what you've written so far, I can trust you to get it right, right? ;)
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Re: An Adventure for the Ages

Post by Penwrite »

The Broken Fox wrote:
naylorfan90 wrote:What about stuff that would look awesome as Quick Time Events? :P
Well... :? But only if it's really awesome! :P I guess based on what you've written so far, I can trust you to get it right, right? ;)
No need to worry, I only do awesome. 8-)

That, and the only games I've played that do QTE's are the God of War series and Kingdom Hearts 2, so I wouldn't really know what I was doing if I tried anyway! :P Also, as of right now I'm taking suggestions for a "theme song" of sorts, something to define the story. I have an idea, but anyone have suggestions? :?:
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Re: An Adventure for the Ages

Post by Penwrite »

Over.
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Re: An Adventure for the Ages

Post by Private Elliot »

...Over what?
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