Where do I go?

[Talwyn]

'"A machine you say? Interesting... very interesting..." Oswin started stroking his goatee and was lost deep in thought. "Well to be honest..." He started again suddenly. "I have no idea. I would need to examine this machine. But I assume it's still on your world so I don't think that's possible." It was obvious he purposefully said 'your world' to try and see if Julius would deflect the claim by saying they where speaking hypothetically.

"Truth be told though, machinery here isn't that advanced. There is a country across the sea that uses what they call machines but those don't manipulate magic. Well the ones I have seen anyway."

As they continued on the man asked him if he could help him with an alibi. He was wondering why that was necessary but then the man called him "a learned man" causing Oswin's eyes to sparkle once more. He straightened his back a bit more and started to walk with a bit more grace, truly looking every bit the aloof scholar. "Ah! So you noticed!" He answered gleefully.

Pacing around Julius he was carefully examining the man, looking at him from top to bottom while once more stroking his goatee. It was obviously a little quirk of his whenever he was deep in thought. He walked up to Julius and grabbed the man's face and started looking up close. Turning his head around a couple of times he eventually brushed aside the mans hair and looked at his ears.

"Hmm you look elven enough, you just lack the ears. If anyone is curious enough to ask, which I doubt, you could easily claim to be an exiled half-elf. Also saves you the hassle of remembering stuff about the village as you can simply 'prefer not to talk about it'. Still... I don't see why such a charade is necessary. You could easily claim your country is across the sea and most people will just think 'oooh interesting' and go about their business." He said as he stepped back.

[kiran]

"Well...I was really just asking about a machine hypothetically. It would honestly be the only way I see it happening."

It would appear that machinery wasn't so prominent wherever he was. Magic was always such a far-fetched idea. There was an explanation for just about everything. However...I guess if one didn't look into the explanation of how an ability is formed...it could be called such. He didn't bother belaboring that fact anymore. Suddenly there was something mentioned of a country that uses machinery.

"I would however like to see such a place. I understand machinery...however...there is so much more potential to be unlocked in it. A lot of times we find machinery...and look to unlock what we can about it."

The reaction from Oswin told him what he needed to know. Any ego filling statements would be needed for smoothing over. He was a bit curious as to what Oswin would come up for his alibi. When he mentioned Elf...he was a bit shocked. It would appear that he had heard of them before. Up until his mother and uncle...nobody had ever heard of such. Now he was truly curious about this world. His mother's ears were always a bit different, but he never asked about it.

"That sounds reasonable enough. I guess I can go with that. Oh, and if your story holds any bearing to it...I'd rather not be called crazy for stating where I'm from. I would rather like to avoid infamy if at all possible. I'll just say I'm a half-elf."

For some reason...he was starting to believe that he truly did have a bit of this Elven blood in him that he spoke about. These stories his mother and uncle told him were becoming more and more true. It also surprised him that Oswin didn't find his appearance odd at all after inspection. As crazy as it may sound...he really might be in another world.

[Talwyn]

Oswin grinned inwardly when Julius did indeed deflect his claim by reminding him they where speaking hypothetically. Oh well, no matter. He also decided to drop the matter on machines, though it was obvious Oswin thought Julius would not find what he was looking for over seas. Which would give the man a pretty clear indication on how "advanced" they where.

To pass the time during their walking, Oswin told the man about whatever caught his eye. He pointed out mushrooms and plants that where edible or poisonous and acted every bit the scholar he was. It was obvious that even though he might be a tad... odd, he clearly knew a lot about this place and its inhabitants.

When they reached a stream, Oswin halted. He walked over to the edge of the water and sat down. After taking off his boots and raising his robe a bit, he lowered his legs in the water. The way his hands tensed in combination with the look on his face indicated the water was pretty cold. "Let's take a break shall we? Would you like some tea?" Even though he asked, it was obvious that he was going to take a break whether Julius would agree to it or not.

Waving his hands about, and speaking in a strange tongue, Oswin suddenly trusted out his hands and a small field of shimmering grey appeared. Snapping his fingers, he called for his impish servant which appeared with a puff of smoke. "YesmasteryouhaveneedofShúzgub? Shúzgubdoesasyoucommand!" The little imp started rattling the second it appeared. It spoke so fast it would be difficult to understand, though Oswin seemed to have little problems with that.

"Yes, I called. Put a kettle on would you? And after the kettle has been put on, place some sugar, milk, two cups and sthingys and finally the nice little wooden box Marie bought to hold my tea on a tray and shove it through the rift. After the water is boiling you can bring that over for us." The imp nodded in acknowledgment and walked through the shimmering grey and disappeared.

[kiran]

Julius listened to Oswin prattle on about this and that. He decided to not interrupt as he did need to know about this strange land he was in. Taking in all the information like a sponge, he nodded and acknowledged anything Oswin said. then when they came by the lake Oswin "suggested" that they stop for a rest. It was clear that Oswin wasn't built for endurance, so he had no problem with that.

"Tea, you say? Don't mind if I do...."

Suddenly, the incident with the little imp happened. At this point...it was better not to ask about that. However...the little patch of space...he was curious about. Although...he didn't think he'd have to wait long for an explanation.

"So what kind of tea are we having? I'm a big fan of Earl Grey, myself, however, I do enjoy my herbal tea."

[Talwyn]

Oswin didn't say anything when Julius asked about the kind of tea. Instead, he eyed the grey space. After a minute or 2, part of a tray appeared from it which Oswin grabbed and pulled out completely. On the tray where, as he had earlier instructed to the imp, two cups and sthingys, sugar, milk and a nice wooden box.

Opening the box, he showed the contents to Julius. Inside, there where teabags for at least 10 different blends, including Earl Grey. "Your pick my friend." Oswin said with a friendly smile as he placed the box back on the tray before eyeing the grey nothingness again. He remained silent though after a minute or so it was obvious his patience was wearing thin.

"Come on you little..." He started to mutter but cut himself off as the imp returned from the weird grey stuff, carrying a kettle of boiling water. Placing it in front of Oswin he looked up expectantly, his eyes big and large. "No, you're not getting anything now move aside you little rat." Oswin said as he shooed the imp away. "PEASEMASTERPLEASEPLEASEPLEASE!" The imp wailed. "I said no damnit. Last time I gave you something you accidently burned down half a forest you little twit. And I am to lazy to set up a barrier for you to sit in and don't particularly want to hear your drunken stupor while I am enjoying my tea either."

At that, the imp turned it's gaze to Julius, obviously hoping this man could be swayed. "Get lost you little rat. He can't give you anything either. Make yourself useful and get the cookie jar for me or something." With a sad look on it's face, the imp hopped back into the grey space. Grabbing the kettle, Oswin poured water in the cups and handed one to Julius. "So, there you go."

[kiran]

Continuing to watch as the situation unfolded, Julius was obviously baffled and remained silent. For a moment...he felt sorry for the little...thing. He then shook his head free of being dumbfounded and decided to go with the Earl Grey. The situation with whatever it was...seemed to be getting worse. He almost spoke up when it looked at him, but he remembered something about destruction and he held his composure until it went back into the void.

"I've got a question....what is that....? Also...judging from what you said earlier...it wouldn't be a good idea to feed it? Mind explaining that to me?"

Awaiting his answer, Julius quietly stirred his tea. It was clear that he needed to not jump to conclusions. However...the treatment did seem a little cruel. It was best to find out why. Time to get a crash course in Oswin, it seems... Julius thought to himself as he wondered about this situation then something else that was nagging him.

"If you don't mind me asking....that...thing that the little thing keeps popping in and out of....?"

Unsure of how to describe it, Julius chose his words wisely. He dare not let Oswin know that he knew of better words for it. Time to play dumb Julius thought to himself and smiled in his mind."

[Talwyn]

"That? What do you... Oh! Wait! You mean Shúzgub. He's an imp, one of the many lesser demons from the demonic plane. Although he is more like a pet then a demon." He dropped his voice to a whisper before going on. "I have to treat him a bit roughly most of the time to make sure he remembers who's the boss around here. ANYWAYS! Yes! Feeding him is a bad idea. BAD IDEA! No, a TERRIBLE IDEA even!"

Before going on, Oswin drank a bit of his tea. "You see, in the demonic plane, there is much less energy then on this one. So when a demon enters this plane of existence, it's like walking into a feast of the finest gourmet for them. When Shúzgub eats or drinks even as much as a single crumb or drop, he gets so much energy he basically gets his equivalent of drunk. And well... despite his generally pet-like demeanor he IS a demon. The first time I found out about this, he accidentally torched my house... so yeah..."

Once again Oswin was swelling with pride when Julius asked about 'that thing that the little thing keeps popping in and out of'. Whatever it was, he seemed awfully proud of it. "AH! THAT my friend, is what I call a 'rift'. It is hard to explain what it is, but the simplest explanation would be to consider it a tunnel of sorts. One exit is over here, the other one is right above my kitchen table. A friend of mine is studying these things and I learned a bit from him. They are most certainly interesting, not to mention very handy to know, but not in my field of research so I stopped learning more about them. Learning as much as he has would take years. Which I'd much rather spent on my own favorite subject."

[kiran]

Listening to the explanation, it all made sense...well at least the rift part. He wasn't even going to touch the rest of the situation. All he knew was alternate dimension, less power, so in this dimension, greater power. It's all he cared to make note of as he sat there and sipped on his tea.

"So I see...interesting. This tea is quite good, by the way."

Julius had a feeling that someone this intelligent AND street smart doesn't come very often. He could probably bet his estate on it. The question of whether this man was trustworthy was the true issue. Furthermore...well...something worried him. If crossing dimensions can give or take away power...what about him? At this point I need to assume that something about my has changed. I don't know what...but I'm sure there's a difference between my home and this current place To Oswin, it would probably appear as if Julius was just soaking all of this knowledge in

"Well...I see I'm definitely traveling with the right man. Perhaps I could learn more of this "rift" you speak of at a later time. For now, I guess we should focus on what our next move is."

[Talwyn]

"Learning more about rifts might be... difficult. You see, I haven't seen or heard from my colleague for quite some time. He was certain about there being other worlds, something I agree with by the way, and was determined to be the first to create a way to find one." He eyed Julius before going on. "I must also sadly admit that the saying 'curiosity killed the cat' seemed to made for him. Finding another world would not be without danger. What if he found one and there was no air! Or the gravity on said world could be so much higher that he'd be crushed! Or he appeared at the wrong place at the wrong time! The possibilities for danger and problems are endless!"

With a disappointed sigh he shook his head. "Planning and preparation where never his strong point I fear." Noticing Shúzgub had returned with the cookie jar, he grabbed a cookie and then held it out to Julius. Taking a sip from his tea it was obvious he was thinking. He knew Julius was withholding information, obviously the man did not trust him. Oh well, not his problem.

"Our next move hmm... I was heading towards Tamasha. The biggest city in Valear. There is a Gathering I'd like to attend planned. If nothing unfortunate happened to my friend, he'll be there to. And, there are several others with whom I'd love to share my research findings."

[kiran]

"Thank you for the cookie."

After hearing his explanation, Julius continued to ponder what he should do. When Oswin mentioned a big city he was starting to feel some kind of hope. If there was one thing he could count on with a large city is that there is information to be gathered. Perhaps a library of sorts. Some place where they keep records. It was worth a shot to say the least.

"That means I can gather information at this place? Surely a city as large as you say is flowing with information."

Julius battled with his brain and his better judgment as he munched on the cookie. It was better he NOT tell Oswin, but it seemed like Oswin might be the one person crazy enough to believe him. After a bit more contemplation he took a deep breath.

"You're...going to meet friends...? Well...I hate to ask you this...but I would prefer that you keep a bit of information to yourself. What I'm about to tell you most people might find a bit daft. I believe that I am in an alternate reality, or world, I should say, than my own. What may sound even more daft, is that I believe that my mother...and her brother came from this world in particular. This world is similar, yet different from my own. Still...the tales that my mother used to tell me when I was a child are starting to look real. She described THIS forest. Walking through it...I almost feel as if I know it. My uncle always talked of how Machinery was never as looked into as it was where he was from. The difference? Well...our kings have been kind and benevolent. They never seemed to doubt the existence of other worlds. They embraced the research of technology. Also...the ears you speak of...are they a bit pointed?"

Julius laid it out on the table for Oswin. He tried to speak in a manner that wasn't too far fetched, but wouldn't insult the man's intelligence, either. Now it was up to Oswin to figure out what to do with Julius.

[Talwyn]

Listening to Julius, Oswin was once again stroking his goatee and occasionally nodding to show he was listening. When the man was done, he chuckled. "Most people might find it a bit daft? HA! Most people wouldn't care my friend. And naturally I'll keep this to myself, I am going there to exchange research notes with friends, not stories. Though if Hamil, he's the one interested in rifts and other worlds, is there I might tell him. He'd pay you handsomely merely for a chance to speak with you! And eh pointed ears? You mean elven ears? They are pointed, though how much depends on the kind of elf."

Suddenly he seemed in a rush as he shoved everything back through the rift and then closed it. Dismissing the imp, it vanished with a puff of smoke. And finally, quickly putting his boots back on. "To Tamasha then! Though I suggest we search for a town and inn first. It'll be a day or two before we reach Tamasha I believe." And off he went, without even waiting for Julius.

He walked in silence, though once they reached a small village he slowed down a bit and quietly spoke. "I'd appreciate it if you would not say anything about imps, demons, etc. etc. while we are here. While I find the subject highly intriguing... most people do not share my enthusiasm I fear." Having said that, he gazed over the village's small market square with Julius, obviously happy about the fact he wouldn't have to sleep in the forest.

[kiran]

"Well you have my thanks..."

As they walked, Julius recalled the stories told by his mother. Sadly, he had to recall the ones his uncle told as well. Still, this seemed very accurate. It was scary to think that he was really away from his home. What's further is that he wasn't sure if he was going to get back. If he did...he was going to make his Uncle pay, dearly. Taking over Roland wasn't going to happen as long as he stood alive. He didn't quite mind the silence, it just let him think and keep a few things under control in his mind. Finally they reached the village.

"You..have no worries here. Nothing shall leave my mouth of the situation. Where to, then?"

Julius wasn't going to even give that whole situation a second thought. He could care less. He was a bit more concerned about What he was going to do, anyway. That, and of course learning as much as he possibly could about and from this world. Anything that he could find that would be an asset for his battle would be appreciated. I guess it's time for me to grow again, father. Will I be as strong as you when I return? As they stepped through the entrance gate of the village, it seemed normal enough to Julius. Fruit stands and the like, a performer out on the roads. It was a typical village. Suddenly someone walked up and greeted them. "Welcome to Rasheens!! May I ask your names, travelers? Are you here on business or just passing through?" Julius was bit taken back to that...unsure of exactly the answer, he just answered normally. He did leave his family name out, though.

"I'm Julius, and this is my companion. I believe we're just passing through."

He figured that Oswin would try and introduce himself...or at least prefer to. So instead of stealing his thunder, he decided to let Oswin be....Oswin. Suddenly a yell was let out. STOP, THIEF!!!!" Julius shifted his eyes to where the commotion was. The man was running his way. So he pretended to stretch and then "slip" onto the thief. He was sure to slip an elbow into the man's back to ensure that he was stunned.


"Oh my goodness....are you alright? I don't know what happened...I kind of just.....slipped."

[Talwyn]

"Well done Julius!" Oswin shouted, not even minding that the impressive introduction he was giving got interrupted. "Caught you red-handed now didn't we!?" He exclaimed while taking part of the glory. Looking as if he caught the thief himself, he eyed the villagers. "So dear friends! Where can my as.sociate and I find the constable so we can turn in this heinous villain"

After receiving directions, the two men and their prisoner walked over the small village gaol and handed the thief over to the towns constable. "So, is there any sort of reward for this my good man?" Oswin asked casually while talking with the man, obviously trying to make it seem like he didn't care. "Reward? Oh yes, of course. How does 10 silver pieces sound?"
"Oh really, that is to kind dear sir. But if you insist!" Taking the coin, Oswin seemed obviously pleased. "This'll buy us a round or two of ale my friend." He said as he slapped Julius on the shoulder while walking him over to the tavern.

Demanding all attention simply by walking in, he spoke in an overly loud voice. "An ale for me and companion if you would be so kind sir." The barkeep nodded. Oswin might be a tad strange, but coin was coin. While taking the ales from the man, Oswin also quickly informed about the rooms and prices and asked for two single rooms before rejoining Julius, whom he had sent to secure a table. Sitting down, he handed the ale to his friend and tossed back the ale. "Aaaah. That hits the spot." He exclaimed contently.