Chapter 5



“ And you really took your sweet time getting here, I must say . “

Although tempted to go ahead and come out of hiding, Brian decided that discretion would probably be a better idea and stayed put.
( what does he mean he’s been waiting? )
…how should I know? I’m in the same predicament as you are
( well if he’s been waiting for us, then he knows we are here, but WE don’t have any idea where we are. So how could he be waiting for us if we didn’t know we are going to be where we are? )
…what? You are totally babbling. Get hold of yourself.
( babbling? I’ll have you know, these are perfectly reasonable questions )
…not when we have no idea how to get to the answers they aren’t
The old man threw his hands up and said “ Will you just come out of there? I haven’t got all day. We have things to do. “
( he seems to know what’s going on. Let’s just ask him )
…but we’re supposed to be hiding
( well it looks like that isn’t working out all that well since he seems to know we are here anyway )
…why do you always have to be so technical?
( because if I wasn’t, your life would be even more fouled up than it already is. )
…yeah, since you have been SO much help
( keep it up. I’ll stop talking to you and then we’ll see how far you get )
..I could only be so lucky
( ya know…sometimes I just don’t like you. So are you gonna go ask him where the hell we are or not? )
…I suppose I should. I don’t see any other way of finding out what’s going on

With a heavy sigh of frustration, and a feeling that it still wasn’t a very good idea, Brian got up from the crouch he had been in and walked around the edge of the pile so that he would be visible to the old man.

At the sight of Brian, the old man broke into a wide grin and said “ So there you are. What in the world took you so long to get here? You should have been here hours ago. “

Brian, feeling a little more than mildly confused and a bit frustrated, looked at the old man and said “ What do you mean? Last thing I knew, I was in my car going to the store to buy some new clothes. Now, suddenly I find myself standing in front of some old guy that I don’t know and he’s talking about something I have no idea about.
So if you wouldn’t mind, could you please tell me where the hell I am and how the hell I got here?? “
( yeah….you get him. Have at him, big man. )
The old man, looking slightly amused, peered at Brian through squinted eyes, looked up at the sky and said “ It’s pretty warm out here. Why don’t we go inside and I’ll explain things to you? “
“ Why don’t we just stay out here since I have no idea who you are, where I am, or what might be hiding in your living room? “
The old man thought about that for a few seconds, then shrugged. “ Suit yourself. I can assure you that nothing is hiding in my home that could harm you. But I can’t blame you for being cautious.

Your questions are easily answered so it makes no difference to me as to where we are when I respond to them. First, where are you. You, young man, are now in Mesatania.

As to how you got here, that’s an even easier answer. It’s very simple, you see…” he leaned toward Brian and said in a hoarse whisper “ I brought you here. “

hee.

ooooooo... need more!

Chapter 6


“ What do you mean, brought me here ?” Brian demanded.
“ Just what I said “ replied the old man . “ I created a spell that would bring you here because we need your help. “
Thoroughly confused now, Brian stared at the old man for a moment, trying to determine whether it was he himself, or the old man, that had finally gone off the deep end.
“ A spell. That brought me here “ Brian said incredulously.
( what the…??? )
“ Precisely “ the old man replied with a wide grin.
Rubbing his face vigorously with both hands, Brian tried to gather his thoughts.
( that’ll be a tough one to pull off )
[ you’re telling me ]
( so you think the old dude has lost it? )
[ I don’t know. We are in a place we don’t know ]
( well yeah. but saying he made a spell to bring us here? )
[ I know. Crazy. ]
( sounds like a bad fantasy novel. I mean, what’s next? )
[ only one way to find out I guess ]

“ You know. Maybe we should go back to the beginning here “ Brian said. “ Let’s start off with this. Who are you? “
“ Very well. From the beginning. But I must warn you, we don’t have a whole lot of time.
My name is Krager. I am the sorcerer to the King and Queen of Mesatania. “
“ A sorcerer? Like, turn people into frogs, sorcerer? “
With a chuckle, Krager said “ Not quite. We sorcerers usually leave the frog transformations to the witches. “
“ Ok. Let me see if I can straighten myself out a bit here “ Brian said
( good luck with that )
[ will you just lay off me for a few minutes. you are making it pretty hard to think ]
( sorry )
“ I was driving along in my car minding my own business. Out of nowhere, I wind up being dropped into a straw pile. I am now, miraculously, in a place called Mesatania. I was brought here, somehow “ Brian quickly put his hand up to keep the old man from interrupting “ by you, a sorcerer. Is that about right so far?”
Krager nodded. “ Yes. Correct so far. “
“ Ok. Good. Now, considering that you said you brought me here, why is it that you told me that I took a long time to actually get here? “
( very good question )
[ thank you ]
“ Oh. That. “ The sorcerer paused, as if trying to find the proper words to say “ Well. Sometimes, just sometimes mind you, the spells don’t go exactly as I had planned for them to. The spell I cast for you was one of those cases. You were supposed to drop out of your car, which got hit by a bus by the way, and come directly here. Unfortunately, it took longer than I had anticipated for you to actually make the transition from your world to this one. “
( hit by a bus?? )
[ I think that’s what he said ]
( well then this must be some kind of weird dream )
[ that’s my guess at this point, too ]
“ Do I really want to ask what would have happened if I hadn’t actually shown up here? “
“ It would probably be best if you didn’t know. “
“ That’s pretty much what I figured. Well, then. Since I am going to go on the basis that this isn’t just some really fouled up dream, I guess I should ask. Why, exactly, did you bring me here? “
“ Ah “ Krager grinned “ that is the question with the most simple, yet complex answer. “

Krager turned away for a moment to gather his thoughts, turned back to Brian and said
“ The simple answer is that we need your help. “

Chapter 7

( he needs our help? )
[ that’s what he said ]
( so let me guess. This is the part where he tells us we have to go rid the country of some monster or something )
[ probably ]
( using only our bare hands and a couple of rubber bands or something )
[ most likely ]
( haven’t we read this story before? )

Putting a hand up, Brian said “ Wait. Before you get to the part where you tell me how I can help you, how about telling me how I got here and where here is? “
Krager thought about it for a second, then said “ Very well. Let’s see how well you can grasp the idea. “
Crouching down, he scooped up a handful of pebbles. He lined up five pebbles in the dirt, then looked up at Brian.
“ Now, picture each of these pebbles as being a world. Your world “ pointing at the outermost pebble “ is here. Mesatania “ here he pointed at the third pebble “ is here. “
Brian looked at the pebbles, then to Kragen, then back at the pebbles.
“ So, you took me from my world, somehow made me time travel of whatever it was, and brought me to this place? “
Kragen shook his head. “ No. Not time travel. You are still in the same time that you were on your home world. What I did was make you slide sideways. “
“ Sideways? “
“ Yes. I pulled you from your world to this one, with no loss or gain in time. It’s very complicated, and it is very unlikely that you would understand how it’s done. “
“ I don’t think I really want to know anyway. I am having enough trouble wrapping my head around this whole thing anyway.
( so now we’ve been pulled sideways? Ask him what happened to us on our world )
So, what’s happened to me, my body, over on my own world? “
Kragen looked up sharply, stood up from his crouch, and said “ Oh. Well…you see…over in your world…your body is deceased. “

OOH OOH can I be your book groupie? PICK ME!! PICK ME!!

haha

Awesome...


Brian looks sexy when he crouches.. GRRRR- ERRR. cmere BABEH!!


*SMOOCH*


I think the old man is a throw back from the nether world, and his face opens up, and this big light shines out, and then everyones sucked into it cos its just a big *** void, yeah, thats right a void.. *pant*pant*pant* and then he sucks everybody in.. yah, the trees, and the carsss.. and Brians buddy, and then they get sucked into this big netherworld dimention, and then theres like all this wind, and then they land like KAPOW!! and then they look up, and theres this big grimace from mc donalds-chet from wierd science as apile or turd, and jesus, alll mixed into one, and then they look up at this big grimace, chet, jesus moster, and then their all like.. "whoaaa what the ****?"

And then...

O wait.. was I hi jacking your thread there?

Oh, Im ss.. im so sorry hon.. c c continue.. go ahead, and continue..

Dammmmmmnnnnnn....maybe I should jjust let YOU finish it.

Prolly wind up a lot better than what I can manage the rest of the way....lmao

keeps getting better an better!!

Chapter 8

( WHAT!!! )

Stunned, Brian sat down heavily on the short grass next to the road.
“ I’m dead? “ he asked.
“ Quite dead, I’m afraid. You see, I have known what was going to happen to you, the accident, I mean, for quite some time. “
“ How?? How could you know that? “

Kragen looked sympathetically at Brian and said “ I know all this must be quite a shock for you. Being brought to a world you know nothing about. Being told that we need your help. Much less finding out that your body is actually dead on your former world. “
“ Shocked is putting it just a bit mildly, wouldn’t you say? “ Brian ran his hands through his wavy dark hair while contemplating what he had just been told. Standing up, he began to pace in a short circle.
[ alright. Let’s see here. I’m dead…]
( not really )
[ right. Not really. But I’m at least sort of dead. Over there anyway ]
( yeah. I suppose. But…)
[ but what? ]
( I don’t know. I know there is a but in there somewhere. I’m just not sure what it is )
[ fair enough. I don’t know either ]
( at this point, we can either try to figure this out and how to deal with whatever it is, or I can just run around screaming in your head )
[ you mean, basically give up and go insane? ]
( pretty much )
[ so which option sounds more appealing to you ? ]
( hmmm…well…as appealing as running around screaming may sound...)
[ it really doesn’t sound like a whole lot of fun for me ]
( oh come on. There have been MANY times I have wanted to turn you into a blubbering idiot )
[ but, yet, you haven’t ]
( I know. It’s been tempting at times, though )
[ ok ok. But you haven’t. besides. That doesn’t have anything to do with the problem at hand ]
( there is still that option )
[ oh for crying out loud. It’s not an option ]
(OK. OK. Sheesh. It was a nice thought. For a few seconds, anyway )
[ glad to hear it ]
( So I suppose that means our only option is to figure out a way to deal with what we have going on now )
[ so it would seem }
( so how do you suggest we deal with it )
[ I suppose like we deal with everything else ]
( just go with it and see what happens? )
[ Bingo ]
( Alright, then. we’ll see how it goes. what’s the worst that could happen? We wind up dead?? )
[ oh very funny ]

MORE!!!

Simmer down, woman.

I'm working on it...lol

Chapter 9

Brian stopped pacing, looked at Kragen and said “ Either I have gone completely insane
( I told you I wouldn’t do that )
or I am just in such shock that I can’t comprehend everything that’s happening. Either way, I really don’t see that I have much choice but to ask you how I can help you. “
Krager shook his head “ Of course you have a choice. You can walk away. Right now. I know this is a lot to absorb in such a circumstance as this. “
It was Brian’s turn to shake his head “ Walking away is not how I operate.
( although, sometimes we would be better off if it WAS the way we operate )
[ where’s the fun in that? ]
( good point )
I, at least, have to find out what kind of help I can supposedly give you, what kind of problem it is, and what you expect me to be able to do about it. “

Krager looked off into the distance, and with a sigh, said “ Unfortunately the kind of help you can give us, only you can determine. Just know that you CAN help. “
( that’s a bit cryptic, now isn’t it? )
[ ya think? ]
“ So. You don’t know what kind of help I can give you. “
“ No. “
“ But you know I can help. “
“ Yes. “
“ With whatever problem it is. “
“ Yes. “
“ Huh. “
( this guy is about as helpful as a rubber drill bit )
[ hush ]
“ Well. Now that we have it settled. “ Brian said in a voice dripping with sarcasm “ What is the problem that you know I can help with. “

Krager looked at Brian suspiciously “ That’s it? No argument? No anger? No denials of your ability to help ? “
“ Would it do any good or accomplish anything other than wasting time? “
“ Well. No. Not really. “
“ There you go, then. “

The old man looked at Brian as if wondering if there was a joke happening that he knew nothing about. Shaking his head and mumbling to himself, he started walking toward the front of the cottage.
Glancing back over his shoulder, he said “ Well come on then. We’ll go inside and I’ll explain a few things and then you can be on your way. “
( here goes nothing )
[ well…like you said…what’s the worst that could happen ]
( I dunno. Getting eaten by a dragon comes to mind )
[ who said anything about dragons? ]
( nobody. Yet )
[ then where did you come up with that? ]
( I told you this sounds like a bad fantasy novel )
[ yeah, yeah. enough with that already ]
( you do realize. If he tells us we have to fight some vile beast or some odd thing, and we’ll need the help of an elf or something, I am never going to let you hear the end of it )
[ yeah. I pretty much figured that. ]

Shaking his head a bit and still wondering what he had gotten himself into, Brian followed the old man across the yard toward the door of the cottage.

( like you know what a field of straw is supposed to look like? )
…oh shut up" Perfect place to say, "I saw it on TV once." I haven't read that much yet, but I'm liken this!

I used that line about an avalanche...lol

I know that's why I thought it would be amusing to see how your "little voice" would react.

DAMN!!!

That's a REALLY good idea. I wish I had thought of that at the time....

That would have actually been REALLY funny....lol

Chapter 10



As they walked through the door into the small main room of the cottage, Krager said “ Unfortunately, there isn’t a whole lot that we are sure of. We know what is happening. But all of our efforts to find out the origins behind why it’s occurring have been…” here, Krager paused as if searching for the correct word “…blocked, I suppose you would say. “
“ Blocked? “
“ That’s the best word to use for it. You see, I am one of several sorcerers here in Mesatania. We have been trying various spells and incantations in an attempt to see what, and where the problem we are having is coming from. Unfortunately, none of us have been able to “ another pause “ get through. Whatever it is that’s causing this seems to be more powerful than any of the sorcerers here. “
Brian stared at the old man for a moment, then asked “ When you say that your efforts have been blocked, do you mean that you, along with the rest of the sorcerers can’t see anything at all? Completely blocked? “
“ Not entirely. “ Krager replied. “ We have been able to feel that whatever it is has power. We have gotten other impressions, but we can’t actually make sense of any of them. “

Brain looked around the small room. Walls lined with shelves that had books stacked in chaotic rows. Some standing up, some lying on their sides. All with a relatively thick coating of dust. On one wall, a shelf heavy with bottles containing who knew what. Cobwebs in the corners. In the middle of the room, a small, yet sturdy looking table holding a book that, to him, looked to be at least a foot thick.
“ So. What kind of other impressions have you, or the others, gotten from it? “
Krager bowed his head as if embarrassed “ Nothing very specific, I’m afraid. The only real, solid impression is that it’s big. Not big in the sense of just it’s size. It’s going to be hard for you to understand because we don’t clearly understand it ourselves. “
“ Just do the best you can. “
Krager nodded with a small grin on his face. “ Very well. Think of the vastness of the oceans on your world. That is what I mean by big. But, we are of the impression that we have only, “ he waved his hands looking for the correct phrase “ scratched the surface, so to speak. “
( this can’t be good )
Brian heaved a deep sigh, while trying to get a handle on what he was being told.
( are you sure this is a good idea? )
[ not really ]
Gathering his thoughts
( kind of like herding cats, eh? )
[ just a little ]
He looked at the old man.
“ So if this, whatever it is, is that big and that powerful, what on Earth can I do about it? That’s the biggest thing I don’t understand. I am a normal guy. I’m not a sorcerer or a magician of any order. Hell, I can’t even do card tricks without messing them up. “
At this, Krager brightened “ On the contrary, young man. “ he said enthusiastically “ You are far more powerful that you know. “

Chapter 11


( you are? )
[ I am? ]
( that’s what the man said )
[ I KNOW what he said ]

Feeling a little stunned
( a little? )
[ ok. A lot ]
Brian looked at Krager and said “ This is just getting more and more strange. What do you mean by that? How can I have any kind of power? “
Krager looked Brian directly in the eye, gave a small nod, and said “ Many generations ago, there was a sorcerer here in Mesatania who was very, very powerful. But along with being so powerful, he was also very conflicted. He never really wanted that power, you see. He wanted to be nothing more than a normal man. But he could not have that here. Being a sorcerer here means that you have great responsibilities to assure the balance between the light and the dark stays intact.

Some men can deal with all the pressure involved in keeping that balance. Some men cannot stand up to it. He simply could not handle it. So to get away from it, to live life as a normal man, he created a spell which allowed him to go to another world where his magic would not work. Your world, Brian. I found the spell he used to go to your world, and simply reversed it. “
( why do I get the feeling he is going to tell us we are related to this guy )
[ gee. I don’t know ]
( sarcasm isn’t helpful, you know )
Brian held up a hand to interrupt him. “ So, let me just take a guess here. I am somehow related to him? “
“ Indeed. He was your great grandfather ten generations removed. “
( wow. Never saw that one coming )
[ and you scolded me for being sarcastic ]
( yeah yeah. shut up )
“ I take you are assuming some of his power managed to find it’s way to me? “
“ I am certain of it “ Krager said confidently.
“ How do you know? “
“ Simple, really. The power gets handed down from the fathers, to their male children. If the sorcerer has no male children, the power disappears from the family line. Fortunately for us, it has been passed down the line and reached you. “
“Wouldn’t it be…I don’t know…watered down or something ? “
“ Not at all. It will be as strong as it was with your great grandfather. The only real problem is that no one, since you were born on a world without magic, how your power will manifest. Until you determine that, and only you can, your journey is going to be very dangerous. “
( dangerous? Is there any other kind of journey? )
[ oh, stop it ]
“ let’s see here “ Brian said “ You know I am ‘ powerful ‘ but you don’t know how my power will show up. “
“ Pretty much “
“ So, I could just be able to turn a frog into a butterfly or something. “
“ It would be much more likely that you would be able to turn that frog into a Gryphon. Probably a dragon. “
( a dragon?? That might be kinda cool )
[ don’t get excited. I wont be turning anything into a dragon ]
( how do you know? )
“ But can you be one hundred percent sure of that ? “ Briand asked.
“ No. But the odds are heavily in favor of me being right. “
“ Well. This definitely isn’t Vegas. “
“ Vegas ? “
“ Yeah. Vegas. Big city. Lots of casinos. You don’t know Vegas ?”
“ I only know of the city you were in. Manhattan, right ? “
“ Yeah. Manhattan. “ Brian clapped his hands together and rubbed them vigorously “ Well now. I suppose we should get started with whatever it is I am supposed to do. “
Krager laughed and said “ That’s the spirit! I have a couple of things to give you that you will need. They’ll help you on your way. Come with me. “