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AniOnline is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents either are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events or locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental. Any names or identities that may reference real people are purely fictional or exaggerated.The content of this story is intended for mature audiences. Some themes and elements may not be suitable for everyone. Viewer discretion is advised.
Wh-what just happened? Amy, you didn't cast any teleportation magic, did you?
Any idea where we are? Looks like we're in a city from the buildings over there... but which city is it?
[NPC] Amy:I already said it wasn't me!
[NPC] Amy:...or maybe it was and my wand is brokeded or something.
Any idea where we are? Looks like we're in a city from the buildings over there... but which city is it?
Amy pulls out her PDA
Please please please please PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE HAVE RECEPTION!...
...YES! Okay, we're in-
Wait wait wait! Don't just look it up on a GPS. Where's the fun in that?
Lemme see if I can figure it out on my own first.
Haha Yes! It's so much more fun to figure things out without the help of modern technologies. Exercises the brain, you know?
Right then, I'm thinking of three words... No, Four words... No, three words again...
Moon
Stars
Night Sky
I said four words.
I thought "Night Sky" was all one word!
Compound word?
Mmmm yeah 'course it's not.
Speaking of which, do you know how many languages out there shorten "Night Sky" to just one word? It's like almost all of them! Well, not Welsh. In Welsh it's four words. Hop on the bandwagon any time fellas we don't got all day. But my point being I can determine our location on the globe using the position and phase of the moon. That along with the constellations should tell me everything we need to kn-know...
Call me crazy... but there aren't any stars out, are there?
Ah, perfect. Great. Just great.
Well I can narrow down our location using the foliage and weather alone. It's winter so we must be in the northern hemisphere still. It's night so that's about two to three time zones away from our previous location give or take. Evergreens over there aren't telling us much...
...and I just realised one very very important detail that all of us should have noticed the moment we got here.
We're standing on a frozen lake.
And it's about to crack.
Lemme see if I can figure it out on my own first.
[NPC] Amy:Um... okay, go ahead.
Haha Yes! It's so much more fun to figure things out without the help of modern technologies. Exercises the brain, you know?
Right then, I'm thinking of three words... No, Four words... No, three words again...
Moon
Stars
Night Sky
[NPC] Amy:That's four words.
I said four words.
[NPC] Amy:Then you corrected yourself and said three.
I thought "Night Sky" was all one word!
[NPC] Amy:It's not.
Compound word?
[NPC] Amy:No.
Mmmm yeah 'course it's not.
Speaking of which, do you know how many languages out there shorten "Night Sky" to just one word? It's like almost all of them! Well, not Welsh. In Welsh it's four words. Hop on the bandwagon any time fellas we don't got all day. But my point being I can determine our location on the globe using the position and phase of the moon. That along with the constellations should tell me everything we need to kn-know...
Call me crazy... but there aren't any stars out, are there?
[NPC] Amy:We're in the middle of a city, so no, not a single one.
Ah, perfect. Great. Just great.
Well I can narrow down our location using the foliage and weather alone. It's winter so we must be in the northern hemisphere still. It's night so that's about two to three time zones away from our previous location give or take. Evergreens over there aren't telling us much...
...and I just realised one very very important detail that all of us should have noticed the moment we got here.
[NPC] Amy:And what's that?
We're standing on a frozen lake.
And it's about to crack.
I'm casting an ice spell to freeze the lake enough for us to safely stand on.
[NPC] Amy rolled 1 20-sided dice. Results: 6
Amy freezes the lake enough to remove the cracks, but the lake could still break at any minute. Amy, Jim, and Marvin will have to carefully walk across the lake or risk the ice breaking again.
Okay, I think that did it, but we should get off the lake anyway. Let's head to the city and try to figure out where we are.
[NPC] Jim:After you.
I think Marvin should go first.
[NPC] Jim:What? No, you go first!
I'll be fine! If the ice breaks I can hop off it, and you won't die from a cold now would you?
[NPC] Jim:You don't know that!
What I'm saying is Marvin has the most to lose if he's the last one on the ice. I can't just let him go last.
[NPC] Jim:I'm not saying he goes last! I've got to make sure you lot get to safety so I'll go last!
I'm just gonna get this over with and carefully cross the lake. I'm the closest to the edge and the ice in front of me looks fine. If I'm slow and careful I should make it. I CANNOT POSSIBLY MESS THIS UP.
[NPC] Marvin rolled 1 20-sided dice. Results: 10
Marvin, despite being cursed with bad luck, somehow does not mess this up and crosses the lake, having rolled the maximum number he is able to roll on a 20. The curse is letting up on him, apparently. He remembers the dark days when he was only able to roll a 5 or lower on a 20, but it looks like those days are behind him. No more going to perform at the Prime Minister's birthday party only to light yourself on fire, running out of Parliament screaming. Prime Minister found it funny, but it was anything but.
Hey, it's fine, I crossed safely. You guys can stop worrying about me ballsing everything up for myself and worry about your own hides for a change.
[NPC] Jim:...You think he's upset?
[NPC] Amy:Definitely, definitely upset.
Alright, guess I'll go. What could possibly go wrong?
[NPC] Amy rolled 1 20-sided dice. Results: 5
Amy takes a couple of steps before part of the ice breaks, causing her to trip and fall to her knees. She crawls the rest of the way to the edge of the lake, and otherwise makes it safely.
Alright Jim, we both made it. Now get over here, you're worrying me to death!
[NPC] Jim:Be right with you, Amy!
Alright, you can do this. Faced more perilous obstacles before, this should be easy. Just gotta carefully walk across the frozen lake without it breaking underneath you. Easy. Oh how I love it when it's easy, and oh how I hate how it's almost always never easy.
[NPC] Jim rolled 1 20-sided dice. Results: 13
Jim makes it across the lake.
Alright, now, where were we?
[NPC] Amy:More like where are we, right? Think we should wander off into the city and ask for directions.
Wait... that architecture. That... that noise... Oh... Oh! Oh that! That unmistakable noise! Amy! Marvin! Come with me! I've figured out where we are!
Jim, Amy, and Marvin run to the nearest street corner.
[NPC] Amy:Where are we going!?
Gotta double check something, Amy! With these old ears I have to make sure they aren't playing tricks on me!
[NPC] Amy:What was it you were saying about a noise?!
The noise Amy! The noise of people! Hundreds of people, all busy and having places to go in the dead of night, not slowing down, not stopping! The noise of taxi cabs and bus drivers and pizza delivered on mopeds! The noise of people, unable to see outside the scope of their own lives yelling at others to slow down! But do they slow down? Nooooo, they keep going! They've got things to do and places to see! Life is short and the pizza is getting cold, Amy! Who on earth likes a cold pizza?!
[NPC] Amy:What are you saying?! Isn't that the same in every city?!
Oh not every city, Amy! There's one city, ONE CITY that stands out as the busiest, brightest, and biggest of them all! Where else would we be?!
We're in Little City!
Omg this really is Little City. How'd we get here?
Hey!
It's controlled random. You don't mess up a spell if you know what you're doing, and I knew what I was doing. Jim, I say this is something else at work.
Thank you.
[NPC] Jim:Good question! Marvin, your thoughts?
[NPC] Marvin:I dunno, didn't Amy bugger up her spell or something?
Hey!
[NPC] Marvin:Well it's not like you can get it right all the time. Magic is random.
It's controlled random. You don't mess up a spell if you know what you're doing, and I knew what I was doing. Jim, I say this is something else at work.
[NPC] Jim:Quite right, Amy. I completely agree.
Thank you.
[NPC] Jim:Question is... what is this "something else"?
Well, not like the answer is gonna come along and smack us in the nose, now will it? Let's find a place to stay for the night, shall we?
Jim bangs his head against something.
[NPC] Amy:Jim! Are you okay?!
[NPC] Marvin:Looks like he hit his head against something.
[NPC] Amy:Jim? Everything alright? Jim?
This is...
BRILLIANT!
[NPC] Amy:What is? What's brilliant?
[NPC] Marvin:Hey, there's some kind of invisible wall here. Look, you can see it when you try to touch it.
Marvin places his hands against the invisible wall Jim ran into. Jim continues staring closely at the wall, smiling.
Hahahahaha. Now what in blazes could you be? And more importantly, what are you doing here?
Do you know what this is, Jim?
You... don't know what this is?
Hey, he's not mad!... Okay, maybe a little mad, but there's nothing wrong with that!
What was that?
[NPC] Jim:I have no idea! Imagine that, I don't know what this is!
You... don't know what this is?
[NPC] Jim:I know! Isn't that exciting!?
[NPC] Marvin:Is he always like this? He seems kind of... well, mad to be honest.
Hey, he's not mad!... Okay, maybe a little mad, but there's nothing wrong with that!
AAAAOOOOOOOOOOOOooooooo~
What was that?
[NPC] Jim:Tell you what...
[NPC] Jim:Let's go find out, shall we?