Evelyn Mae O'Callaghan's Story

Blinking rapidly, two grey eyes cast a desperate look around. Alien surroundings were all that they discovered. The warmth of neither her apartment, nor the pristine street on which she resided could be seen. Evelyn Mae O'Callaghan felt her heartbeat quicken. All she could hear was the blooding pumping in her ears and feel her lungs heaving with every laboured breath. Panic encased her chest and fear gripped at her heart. What on earth had happened to her? Thinking back, she tried hard to remember the course of events that had preceded this. At first, she struggled to place the memories, each one slipping from her grasp. After a few moments of lying there, concentrating her mind, she fitted them into the correct order.

It had been a normal day. Evelyn had woken as normal, prepared for work as normal. She'd been leaving her apartment, car keys in hand, intending to grab a coffee before work. Upon opening the front door there was a blinding light, then darkness and a sensation of falling. It had felt like she would endlessly fall through a darkened void. Perhaps she would never stop falling. Perhaps she would forever remain that way, doomed to never lay eyes upon the light again. But finally, she had wrenched her eyes open and found herself lying face down in dirt, certainly not the floor of her apartment. Had she fallen unconscious? Had she had some kind of funny turn? If so, how had she ended up here?

Forcing herself to sit upright, Evelyn took a deep breath, the sound of blood in her ears fading slowly with every mouthful of air. Pushing her silky black hair from her even paler face, she bit her bottom lip hard. It was with caution that she raised her head enough to look around. She was able to see more from her new vantage point, but it did little to assist her on her whereabouts for she had never seen such a place. The dirt was actually a path, a crossroads to be precise. She had been about four feet from landing in a rather prickly looking shrub, one that she did not recognise. Wait, landing? Was she even sure that had been the case? Perhaps, she was dreaming…

Other than herself, she noticed various others clambering to their feet, some looking just as confused as she was. They seemed to be heading towards an Inn or Pub that had been nestled from Evelyn's view until she got to her feet. They all looked fairly normal. Well, what did she expect? For them to have tentacles or three heads? Or even to have features like a wolf? It was foolish to think that way, they were nothing but average humans. So why did Evelyn's skin begin to prickle with unease. Ignoring the feeling and brushing the dirt from her pale blue blouse and black trousers, she followed suit, her body tense and ready to spring into action. Or to run. It was yet to be decided. Her eyes never stopped moving, her fingernail digging into the smooth pink flesh of her palm.

Halting for a second at the door, she considered turning and walking away. No, she needed help. Perhaps they had a phone she could use, seeing as hers had been in her handbag, which clearly was nowhere to be seen. Carefully, she pressed her hands to the rough wooden doors and pushed it open.

A tirade of noise suddenly assaulted Evelyn's ears. She staggered slightly as her eyes adjusted to the slightly dimmer light of the Inn. In front of her, a man had halted and was being addressed by a young lad. She had to do a double take. He had wolf features. A nervous laugh escaped her lips. Her worst fears had just been confirmed. Quickly, she homed in the conversation, waiting for someone to ask the obvious. Was this all just a big joke?

"....Group or are you all seperate? Or is there a middle ground? Anyone pregnant? Sorry, just need to ask for optimal comfort...".

And then...

"Ah Well child, I have association with the fine people behind me. I suppose I shall be staying for multiple nights, Alone, and privet are my reasons for being here."

Frowning, Evelyn stepped forwards, avoiding looking at the young lad for fear that she might run away screaming.

"I just need a phone and the address of this place. I want to go home. I shouldn't be here." She whispered, shaking her head as she cast another look around the Inn, spotting a gentlemen in the corner watching them. She ignored this and continued. "I have no idea what I am doing here, nor do I wish to linger in order to find out. So if you could please just point me towards your phone. I have no money, but-" Her words faltered as she finally took a deep breath and dragged her eyes upon the boy.

This was all just a little too unreal...

From a distance Gibari had seen the group of rather odly clothed humans appear. Their were most certainly not from around here, nor from any city he'd been to in the surrounding area. They were interresting, he judged. Afterall they wore clothstyles that could be from some exotic lands far from his known world. As they headed to the inn, he followed them into the inn swiftly.

As he opened the door he saw the wolf kid, nice kid, and a hard worker too. He adressed the group, asking them about their stay. The man who answered at least fit in with the rest of the mercenaries you typically saw around here, though the hardware he carried around was somewhat odd and he had seen quite a few designs.

Then he heard the girl whisper: "I just need a phone and the address of this place. I want to go home. I shouldn't be here." The word phone sparked his attention, more because he didn't know what it was than that the word seemed special. She whispered again "I have no idea what I am doing here, nor do I wish to linger in order to find out. So if you could please just point me towards your phone. I have no money, but-" Then her words stopped, as she looked at the wolf kid again. "She probably isn't from around here, if she is that startled by that kid. And then there is that phone thing, might be interresting."

He walked up to the girl and laid his hand on the girls shoulder. Forgetting that if she is getting startled by the wolf kid he probably would be even more of a surprise, with his red/green scaled skin, bright red eyes, the two horns on the back of his head and his sharp steakknife-like teeth. "Pardon me miss, but if I'm not mistaken then you aren't from around here. I do not know what this phone thing is what you are speaking about, but I might be of some assistance to you." He said as his hand touched the shoulder of the girl.

He did however realise that there had to be someone who brought them here, as peopel don't generally appear out of thin air without reason. Thinking that one of them probably was a mage with a fairly decent grip on his magic, he decided it might be interresting to get contact with them. Afterall magic was a very interresting thing, something he'd always wanted to study, out of curiosity than out of scientfic importance, but still.

"Well, that confirms it again, your travelers. Never heard of this phone thing, but I hear a lot of things I've never heard of before. Anyways, do you need anything, some food, wat....."

Evelyn stared open-mouthed at the young lad, as he listened to someone calling him. He'd never heard of a phone before? Was he insane? Surely even out here, clearly in the middle of nowhere, they had phones? Taking a deep breath, she closed her eyes and prepared to plead with him to help her find her way home. This wasn't her place and she definitely did not belong here. If only she could ask him to point her in the right direction. She didn't get the chance however. For when she opened her eyes, she found that he'd disappeared on some errand. Releasing her held breath, she cast another look around the room, avoiding looking at the man who was openly staring at them and also the one who had entered before her. He clearly felt at home here, even though she'd seen him appear just as she had outside.

Consumed by watching the people within the Inn Evelyn didn't hear someone approach from behind. Blanching when they laid a hand on her shoulder, she pulled away and turned to face the stranger. A gasp escaped her lips as she pressed her hands to her mouth. Her eyes widened in shock, her face draining of its remaining colour. Before her stood a person who was seemingly half man, half lizard. Gulping, she stepped backwards, not quite catching all of his words over the din, but she did hear that he too didn't know what a phone was. How could that be? Were they all cut off from the outside world? But these thoughts never really formed in her head, for she was too scared to think of anything but running away. After a few moments of staring at the scaly skin and red eyes, she shook her head. This had to be some kind of joke. A convention or something. Maybe they were a cult? Yes, that's what it would be. Some kind of cult that took pleasure in dressing up as animals.

"Th-That's a good costume," Evelyn whispered, pointing at the scales that lined his face and his eyes that she now believed to be contacts. "You must have worked hard on that mask." She nodded, as though she were confirming it for herself. "Yes, yes it must be...It couldn't possibly be real now could it?" It was a comment intended for no-one but it came out fairly loud. It wasn't that she was being rude, only that she was frightened. And when the boy returned she turned to him, though she didn't present her back to the half lizard man, instead making sure she could see him the whole time.

"Your costume is good too," Evelyn said, a note of hysteria echoing in her tone. "Very cute, very cute...Now, please tell me how to get out of here. I want to go home. I want to go back to...Earth." She didn't know why she'd said it, only that it had slipped out before she could stop it.

"We'll I must ask you sir...Where I'm I then. Atmora is no place on Terra." Barron spoke calmly respectivly drawing up another chair to the table " I know I'm not anywhere close to home but I am still pondering upon the matter of which I was brought here." Barron added to his previous statement observing the lizard like man as he sat right beside him. Adjusting himself as he rested in the seat also glaring over to the woman, smiling gently at her. Not one of his tastes he mentally noted but a female none the less, the perfect person to bond with because she was also foreign to this world. Attempting to make her feel comfterble with the both himself and the lizard beside him, Barron opened with this statement "Miss, I am not from this world as well. Maybe we can attempt to find out everything we can from this outstandingly kind gentleman to my right."

Barron smiled as he pointed to Gibari "Barron Van Black III, is my name and you miss?" He tried to remain open, happy and relaxed when he spoke to her. Making sure to keep her calm because from her facial expressions she was going insane on the inside doubting that what is happening is real. Even Barron had his doubts but remembering the strange dream before he awoken, everything began to fall into place and the pieces all fit together. He is on the path to save this world and bring it back from falling under to help the being who called him from death. A second chance was given and Barron would take full advantage of it, to live again was something you don't get very much

Reluctantly Evelyn turned back to face the lizard-man and with much hesitation and a pleading look to anyone who would accept it, she took a seat opposite him. Well, she perched on the edge of the chair, ready to spring away at any moment. He seemed polite enough in his attempts to calm her. Perhaps she was over-reacting to this whole situation? Maybe she should reconsider her manners. Taking a deep breath, she forced herself to look at him, opening her mouth to speak. It was time she demanded to know what was going on here. However, before any words left her lips, another man had taken a seat with them. He too offered words of kindness and gentle smiles. But it didn't seem to relax her. Instead, she clenched her hands into fists until her knuckles shone white against the skin.

"My name is Evelyn sir," She whispered, looking up long enough to stare him straight in the eye. "And I would also like to know exactly what is going on here." Now she turned to the lizard-man, a spark of confidence in her eye that glimmered for only a second. "We have yet to here your name..." Before she could continue, the young lad returned with some water. She offered him a nervous smile, but avoided his eyes for the most part. Returning to the conversation, she failed to noticed the arrival of some newcomers, but she did not miss the silence that suddenly enveloped the Inn. Everyone appeared to be listening to the exchange. A few nervous twitters echoed, but they quickly disappeared. Evelyn tensed. The hair on the back of her neck was standing on end, something bad was going to happen. Turning slowly, her eyes found the Innkeeper and then the individual who thrust his sword forwards, into his chest. A gasp escaped Evelyn's lips before she could help it. No, this had to be some joke right?

"You scream, you die..."

Without thinking, Evelyn jumped to her feet, grabbing Narren away from the group of men. For some reason, she felt she needed to protect him. Well, she was his elder. Even though this was clearly a practical joke of some kind, she stood shielding him from view, her eyes remaining on the men. She had no way to protect herself, but she'd singled herself out by standing up. However, no harm would come to her would it? This wasn't real after all...

"Well Mister Arcolione then likes shoot our way out" Barron said with a slight smile. He was prepaired to attack when Girbari made his move, Barron was a gunman at heart in the first place but something didn't seem right. People were out of place, thinking back to hostage situations back on Terra where their was always men out of place to flank the attackers. The voice of what seemed like their leader broke his concentration peering at the man as he spoke " "Do you know who we are? We are the The Slayers. Best Assassin organization in all of Atmora....". And with that clear statement, his worries about killing men that could be fighting for a cause flew out the window.

Narren also seemed to be much more capable than he looked as well, lashing back at his attackers with a sword that decorated the walls of the inn. Lunging as he slashed one assassin and swiping the blade at another but missing as the man dodged. As the man raised his sword in an attack Barron let off three quick shots spinning to position himself behind Girbari. While another man was gunned down by a patron who ordered ale, who then quickly pointed the gun at their leader.
"Well it seems the odds are on our side" Barron noted pointing his gun at the leader and keeping his other one raised just in case.

The moment that the fighting starting, Evelyn backed away from the commotion. She didn't really know what to do. Self-defense was something she'd learnt throughout her childhood, but she didn't want to apply it here. However, she was extremely surprised when little Narren, the young lad, pulled a sword from the wall and launched himself into the fray. And her heart almost stopped when the lizard-man clicked some device and he too had weapons. Well, that just about sealed it for Evelyn. This wasn't her world. Gulping, she fought to remain conscious and on her feet as her head suddenly felt rather light. Gripping the edge of the table, she took in as much breath as she could as the room swam. All around her the fight continued, in the world that wasn't her own. Sickness gripped her stomach.

Nothing made sense. How had she come to be here? How had this happened? It was undeniable that this wasn't Earth now. Things like this just didn't happen on Earth. Looking up, her eyes locked onto the stand-off. Perhaps these assassins knew the answer, as she doubted any of those present did. But she couldn't simply throw herself into the fight, could she? Besides, they were prepared to kill the lot of them. In fact, she felt an anger bubbling inside of her \t the whole ideal. Why had she been dragged into this mess? The only people she could direct her fury at were the men who had come to kill. Stepping forwards, unsteady on her feet due to the new realisation she placed herself between the assassins and her new-found acquaintances. Her eyes narrowed in a dangerous manner.

"I suggest you leave," She hissed furiously, clenching her hands into fists at her sides. The knuckles shone white. "You're not welcome here and as you can see, we can defend ourselves well enough. So leave."

((Sorry it's short!))

Thats when Narren quickly noticed that over half the inn is still calm. "Really, who here isnt an assassin?" About 5 people raised their hands. The rest got up with swords, and there were 4 more swords now at Gibari's back and 2 at Narren's. "Okay, my skills only go so far......" he noted, feeling the pointed edges. Thats when the assasin leader heard the question, and answered "Simple. The Overlord of Chaos. He ordered all your deaths right here, and is paying us with plenty of money, and a great position in his comming empire. He captured Destiny you know? Hes Destiny's book right up in his office. He tried to keep his identity secret, but he failed. Just like how your defense shall..." he spoke, only finished with a shot to the head by the Gunman.

"Please tell me someone else thought about shooting him too"

That's when Narren howled. And, as if he suddenly evaporated, he disapeared, and a Wolf took his place, tearing into the throughts of the two swords wielders. Well, wielder, one man holding two swords. But still. The gunman shot two more as well.