>>66839Kris sat looking blankly off in the distance for a long while. The breeze rustling the grass seemed to bring him out of his thoughts. He then went back to his sewing and began to speak.
"For a long time there was nothing. No sound; nothing to feel; nothing to see. For what felt like eternity it was just my thoughts. That is all there was and thinking was all I was capable of. " Kris said.
He then took a deep breath before continuing "I think I thought every though I was capable of thinking" He then smiled but it didn't reach his eyes, who looked tired beyond his years.
Fulgur asked "is that all?"
Kris responded "No, After runing through everything in my mind I started to try to observe myself, to observe the observer if that makes any sense"
Kris looked at Fulgur who nodded before he continued "After awhile I sort of figured it out. I went deeper and deeper into myself. I think I broke something, a shell covering this inner light that I can't really put into words"
Fulgur cut in "You awakened,"
Kris looked at Fulgur confused so Fulgur continued "Beings with conscientiousness, with will, all to some degree have the ability to interact with and control a mystical psycho-reactive energy found across most plains in varying amounts. That energy goes by many names in different places, it's name doesn't mater now. It's just a word. Beings who are awakened ether innately or have unlocked the ability to sense and flexibly manipulate this energy with their will. With refinement, with knowledge they are able to manipulate this energy in accordance with their will to results beyond what is normally possible."
Kris responds "So those who are awakened can see and do magic?"
Fulgur huffs then says "that is a gross simplification and over generalization, though I suppose it will have to do for now given your limited knowledge on the subject."
Fulgur then presses on asking "is that all that happened?"
Kris said almost in a whisper "No"
He cut the thread he was working on and examined the roughly repaired bag. The holes and gouges covered up with oversized patches. He then pulled out the duck tape and pulled over the partially shredded rain gear.
He then looked his body over again in the locations where there were deep cuts in the jacket. Finding not even a blemish.
"what were those monsters" Kris abruptly asked.
Fulgur thought for a second before answering the question "They were constructs created by combining that magical energy with pliable matter summoned from a demi-plane".
Kris then responded "as in the demi-plane I ended up being trapped in. That dark place?"
Fulgur said solemnly "yes"
Kris brighten a little then said "But you got me out of there, I don't think I said it yet, but thanks for that. "
Fulgur nodded in acknowledgment but kept the grim mood and pressed on "Once you became awakened what happened in the dark place?"
Kris responded without affect "I found out very quickly that it wasn't a empty void. I found out it was in fact full to the brim. Though what exactly it was full of I don't know and I am not completely sure I want to know."
Gaining a bit more life into his voice Kris turned then asked "How exactly did I end up there. I remember most of the details leading up but I am unclear on what happened"
Fulgur responded "it was a confluence of unlikely events coming together resulting in you being pulled into the zero point of a anomalous portal to a demi-plane of extremely high chaos."
Fulgur looked at Kris sternly "how it didn't pull you apart and absorb you instantly is a wonder worthy of a lifetime of research, but I have other duties to attend to so it will likely remain a mystery."
Fulgur then sat back and relaxed "I was a bit stunned by your involvement in that conflict in the first place. But regardless I felt some responsibility for your predicament. So when I preformed several divination and determined that you were intact I felt it became my responsibility to rectify the situation. "
Kris asked "speaking of which, Who was the dude in black and why were you fighting to the death?"
Fulgur's face soured for a moment before he continued, disgust dripping from his words. "that man in black was a agent of chaos. Powerful mages who have for incomprehensible reason thrown their lot in with the personified destructive forces of chaos. They are the opposite to individuals like myself, Avatars of Order. Such a contemptible lot aim to bend then break reality to their will, usually for petty and selfish reasons. Not caring how it negatively effects those around them. "
Kris nodded then interjected "Forces of order and chaos. A fight spanning the multiverse. Very cool, but why did you decide to take your fight to a parking lot in a world that to my knowledge doesn't even have working magic?"
Fulgur responded almost as if anticipating the question "your world, your universe is one of relatively high order but due to certain astrological circumstances, being the winter solstice, It made the barrier between your plane and a few close planes thinner."
Kris raised his eyebrows at this and laughed "My world is high order? All the crime, the war, the random natural and man made disasters. You call that high order?"
Fulgur explained "It has very consistent physical laws by which nearly everything abides by and relatively low native psycho-reactive energy. You have some personal experience of somewhere on the extreme of the other end of the spectrum, How would you compare that to your world?"
Kris cringed at the memory. He grabbed the rain gear and began applying duct tape to the ragged claw holes.
Point made Fulgur continued on "I also feel the need to correct you on something. While psycho-reactive energy is low on your world and thus hasn't had the chance to develop advance knowledge on the subject of 'magic', as you saw in my fight with that misguided gentlemen, magic does indeed still work on your world. Though the effort to conduct anything of note without a external energy supply would be excessive. "
Kris asked "If magic works there then why did you bring me here?"
Fulgur took a deep breath, let it out in a long sigh then answered "There are a few reasons. This is a balanced plane with a large amount of psycho-reactive energy available. After that battle I needed resources to heal and needed energy available to recharge what was expended. This world is also a bit of a nexus, having many locations where there are stable portals as well as places where the borders between planes and demiplanes are thin and thus can be relatively easily accessed with the right knowledge. But most importantly is you were steeped in a area of extremely high chaos. There is no chance you would come out exactly the same way you went in, and there was a distinct possibility you would come out as some sort of abomination. So it would be too much of a risk to bring you to a world ill-equipped to deal with such a potential threat. "
He changed his sitting position then continued "Considering the circumstances you have come out the other end of your experience unbelievably well. A little shook up, but physically intact and not raving mad"
Kris responded "At some points I certainly went mad. I am sure of that, but it was eternity in there. So there was more then enough time to build myself back up again. I think that is what happened with my body too. For the longest time in there I don't think I even had one, however that worked. But I built it back up because I needed it to separate myself from the darkness. "
He looked down at his body, flexing his hands open and closed a few times then nodding and saying "for someone with no clue what he was doing I think I did a alright job".
He then put his finishing touches on the rain jacket before putting the duct tape away and folding the rain gear, stuffing it into the backpack.
Fulgur looked him over before saying "while you look well enough another reason I brought you here is because because you need to have certain test run on you to make sure the taint of chaos didn't corrupt you in some way beyond what is recoverable. If you pass then I would be happy to arrange for transportation to your home, I am sure you are eager to get home as soon as possible"
Kris picked at the grass and said "If I don't pass?"
Fulgur answered "Depends on the results of the testing but rest at ease that I didn't save you just to then execute you. "
Kris tested his cloths for moisture which he found suitably dry and began to dress.
Fulgur then asked "Do you feel up to a bit of a hike? The location where the testing unfortunately isn't close. It's three days of hard hiking to reach the location I deemed nessisary and it may take more time then that for the specialist necessary to conduct things properly. "
He then pointed at the plateau "I would have preferred to bring you to this world closer to our end destination but unfortunately this was the closest suitable nexus to the particular demiplane you were trapped in."