NameIess

... coughed weakly. "What is... going on? My normalcy... has never been this sporadic before." The Brave Adventurer backed away, fear covering his face. The General stared at ... with thoughtfulness, and spoke first. "So. You're still alive after all. Are you part of the Great Wizard's conspiracy?" "Well then, I'll visit you!" The Dreamsmith smiled creakily. "Although I'm afraid my visits won't be very long." He held up a hand that had begun to turn into mist. "I'd hoped I'd last longer. Perhaps Omen will be able to stabilize me somewhat. I'll ask him about it."

First post was a Moni post that I'd made a long time ago, second post was one that I've been working on since then and only now finished. "Sure. I'll help out." I hope those plans of yours are effective. Conveniently, this was the important part of the secret protocol code, so brave adventurers immediately began smashing every computer-related thing in sight with wild abandon. "You have a small hole in your chest." The Brave Adventurer looked mildly queasy. "Does it not... hurt?" "You are in the care of the Brave Adventurers. Do not worry, we will not harm yo-" A perfectly normal person standing next to Nogard suddenly collapsed to his hands and knees, gasping for breath. The General and the Brave Adventurer froze, staring at the now-not very normal person. "Impossible." Breathed the Brave Adventurer. "You?" The Dreamsmith breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank you, my friend. I owe you a deep debt for this. If there is ever anything I can do for you, simply ask. And if you ever need company, feel free to visit me. I can give you a map that will be mostly accurate.""

I'm majoring in biological sciences with a minor in biomanufacturing. I would recommend that whatever you do, have a plan to get a job that will pay money. College costs money, so if you are going to go, don't get a useless degree. Do something you like, sure, but make sure that it's also something that will let you get a job and support yourself afterwards.

Yeah, why?

Context for this post (from page 2659 if you're curious) The post that needed context (spoiled for length) The brave adventurers helped him to his feet. The Dreamsmith nodded "The identity of the two Plotblades will be revealed very soon, and they must be protected. My request is this: Use the power of Lore to ensure that the Blades cannot be gained in any way except by aligning with their intent." Subversion shrugged. "Does it have to do with those Plotblades?" The adventurer pulled out a hammer and smashed the keyboard, then smashed the computer as well. He quickly walked over to the intercom (installed post-Nowhere) and made a base-wide announcement. "All right everyone, I'm announcing a base-wide activation of the terminator policy. There is no need for alarm, please follow protocol in an orderly fashion." The Brave Adventurer frowned at him. "Are you certain you're quite alright?"

Welcome to the Shard random woman whom I do not know!

A medic ran up to Nogard and checked him out, while several other brave adventurers came forth to secure the Great Wizard. "I'm afraid this base is in a state of turmoil at the moment. It seems someone has taken control of our computer systems utilizing a backdoor left by Nowhere. We'll have to transport the Wizard elsewhere, which may delay the trial." The Brave Adventurer checked his watch again, frowning. "So long as the rest of you agree not to cause any more disruptions before the trial, we will not insist on your imprisonment." The Dreamsmith nodded. "Well, revelations aside, I did come here to ask for your help. Do you still have Lore?"

The hangar was chaos, brave adventurers running around and smashing anything that looked remotely electronic. Out of the bedlam walked the Brave Adventurer, checking the time on his iridescent pocket watch. "General, I see you've got the Great Wizard in custody. Excellent work. And are these others his accomplices?" The General shrugged. "Some of them. But I made a deal with that one," She pointed at Selppaenip. "That he would be allowed to accompany the Great Wizard and defend him at his trial." The Dreamsmith tilted his head to the side. "And the host?"

Subversion blinked innocently. "What? Of course not. I just happened to be holding my Narrationblade when he came flying into me and knocked me over. There was no time for me to react and dismiss it." The adventurer typed even faster, accelerating to his maximum speed. "Don't worry sir." He repeated, sweat starting to trickle down his face. "This is just a slight computer glitch." "No. Just go land on the far side, we have a hangar that should be large enough." The General frowned down at the lava. "It seems my worries about that salesman's credentials were justified." "Oh, from X? That makes sense. It's too bad, what happened to him. With the Witherlord, I mean. Tragic. Especially considering..." The Dreamsmith tapped his finger on the windowsill. "I've heard that there are groups working to bring about the Witherlord's return. Odd, isn't it? I would have thought the Witherlord was free to return whenever he wished." Out of the corner of his eye, he watched Onyx carefully. "I'm surprised he's been absent for so long."

"No, Hacob just broke my nose." "Er, don't worry sir. We'll get this fixed up in no time." The brave adventurer began typing even more furiously. "Nothing we can't handle." The rabbits froze suddenly. [He is here! Flee!] They were gone in an eyeblink.

The General's expression was harsh. "No. I ordered them to stay quiet unless TP got close enough to grab." The Dreamsmith remained silent as well. Finally, he walked up beside Onyx. "That armor is a masterwork. Might I ask who made it?"

No, why would I be? Subversion walked up to Platypus. "Did something happen that knocked me unconscious?" A brave adventurer burst into the control room. "Who authorized activation of the lava defense systems? We're supposed to be in stealth mode!" The brave adventurer at the keyboard typed furiously. "Sorry sir, it's some kind of backdoor access. We're working to shut it down, but the protocols protecting it are quite hardy. Some kind of leftover from the previous owner of the system that we didn't catch when we rewrote the security systems." The rabbits ran right over the lava, black eyes growing darker as they drew nearer to Hacob. "I..." The embers within the Dreamsmith's eyes dimmed and almost went out. "Please. Tell me."

It was probably nothing. The Dreamsmith suddenly looked very uneasy. He sheathed his dagger, and his hands shook slightly as he continued. "...Onyx, how about a deal? I'll tell you who I was if you tell me who you were."

No, it wasn't that kind of Narration. I simply dictated when in the story a certain event should happen. They found us all on their own. Hacob's bite wounds ached, and he felt slightly drained. The rabbits who'd bitten him swelled up to massive size, then shrunk down again. Floating black orbs that tugged at Hacob's soul appeared, hovering at the rabbit's eye level. [You are tasty. So very tasty. We remember your taste.] They charged again, rabbits bursting from the earth to consume Hacob. The adventurer cursed up a storm as he saw what was going on, then slammed the door shut right before a rabbit ripped out his throat. "Few. Would've been bad if they got inside." The General walked over to further secure the Great Wizard. ... was still speaking, although it didn't seem to be very important to Selppaenip. Something about "normalcy field out of control." and "No idea what's causing this. The Dreamsmith cocked an eyebrow. "Has this always been a problem with you? Since you took up the mantle of Onyx, I mean."

The General regarded the hand for a moment, then grew a fifth arm to shake Selppaenip's hand. "Well it's not very cheery." The Dreamsmith shivered. "Might I ask what keeps you from getting out more? You seem like you could use a nice vacation somewhere sunny."

"Think what you wish, but we will save this world." The Valiant One stomped off angrily, gathering a trail of brave adventurers behind him. That's not how Narration works Platypus. I didn't bring them there, I just reminded the Thread of their existence. [Stupid Narrator! We know you're doing it!] The rabbits jumped up and down in anger, and then a great many things happened very quickly. About a dozen rabbits who'd remained invisible despite the ash coating them leapt onto Hacob from all sides, biting down with teeth like razors. The rest immediately became invisible as well, and Hacob felt faint rumblings in the ground (the tremors from the first rabbits to attack him had been covered by the angry jumping of the visible rabbits) as the full horde swarmed towards him.

"I trust the Wise Scholar wholeheartedly. And our organization does have access to teleportation, we just needed time to track down the... whatever your group was." The rabbits chittered angrily at Hacob. [Stop making us dirty! Give us more tasty things instead!] Despite their angry words, they remained at a distance from Hacob, seeming hesitant to approach. "You may accompany him as a guard, but we must be certain he will not be able to escape or call his rabbits to aid him." "Understandable. I never have described much about my appearance. Never thought it important, you know?" Spinning a dagger idly in his hand, the Dreamsmith pressed a hand against the wall. "Much has changed since my last visit. Why?"

"As soon as we gather all of the witnesses and make preparations." The General lowered her maces. "Will you allow me to take the Great Wizard into custody? You have my word that no harm will come to him." "Because, after initially setting up shop in your realm, I abandoned it. One of my worst mistakes. It at least makes it into the top three."

The Great Wizard had unfortunately slumped back into unconsciousness. ... said something that was far too normal to be comprehended in a cautioning tone. The Dreamsmith shrugged. "Because I feel like it's partly my fault that no one visits you anymore." He breathed the air in happily. "It's really wonderful here, isn't it? The walls are so... realish." "The Wise Scholar said that normal adventurers would be safest, sent in groups. The Brave Adventurer concurred." The Valiant One took another step closer, getting right up in Platypus's face. "And obviously we'd still keep an eye out for the Blades while the trial was going on. We'd be ready to stop the trial and fight for them." After all, the plan... "We know what we're doing." The rabbits consumed the things, forms swelling as they did. [Yes! The tasty things!] However, they remained at a distance, continuing to clean their fur in order to regain invisibility.

"Why would the trial end the thread?" The Valiant One didn't back down in the slightest. "The Blades have not yet emerged, and the adventurers are searching for them as we speak. The trial will not prevent that search from continuing." He hesitated. But it might... no. He has to go to trial. "And he did send spies to the council, even if none of the people who disrupted the meeting were in his employ-which we will need to determine at the trial-there were multiple rabbits spying on the meeting." The rabbits did not follow Hacob, sensing that he was getting closer to their master. Instead, they began cleaning the ash from their fur, glaring at Hacob. Hacob realized that for some reason, he had teleported the volcano in from somewhere else instead of creating it. He couldn't explain why. The General harrumphed. "Then defend him in court. Can we not try him to determine whether the accusations are correct or not?" "Excellent!" The Dreamsmith stepped through the doorway and- The Dreamsmith staggered. "Wow." He blinked, running a hand through his hair. "So real. Not at all what it felt like..." He smiled creakily. "Ah, never mind. Onyx, I've come to check on you. You've been so reclusive lately, and I felt bad."

N.E.G.A.T.I.V.E. laughed uproariously as Unintelligible's bullets bounced off of the invisible breastplate that protected him. "Muahahahahaha! You were all fools, searching after Plotblades while the real prize was Plot's armor! I am invincible!" As he said this, a bullet managed to shoot through his armor somehow, piercing him in the side. "Agh! Impossible! This armor is completely indestructible!" Another bullet snuck through. "OUCH! Blast it, I still can't get this thing to function properly. Why does it keep failing? Minions! Cover me!" At his command, the army of robots he'd bought off the internet opened fire, forcing Unintelligible back behind cover. "He's got me pinned down." Unintelligible muttered into his comlink. "Platypus, are you ready for your dramatic entrance or not?" Platypus's reply came quickly, voice made crackly by poor connection. "I'm almost there, but bad news. Moni's research turned up a blank. This guy's done absolutely nothing to me, so Vengeance isn't going to have what it takes to break through that armor until his Destroying or Obliterating Machine does a lot of damage." Unintelligible cursed, brushing sweat from his brow as lasers chipped away at the boulder he was hiding behind. "Well, you might still have a chance. Some of my shots have gotten through his armor, and they're not particularly powerful compared to your weapons." Platypus's reply was quick and short. "Got it. I'm here." Platypus hit the ground in the middle of the robots, sending them flying like Plot before pineapples. Vengeance glowed in one hand, and a shining sword that for legal reasons may or may not have been a true Luxblade in the other. "N.E.G.A.T.I.V.E.! I have fought Nameless and survived. Do you really think you can beat me? Surrender now, dismantle your machine, and I will spare you." N.E.G.A.T.I.V.E. laughed even harder as his D.o.O.M. machine fired up in the background. "Who needs to beat you when I can simply outlast you? The D.o.O.M. machine is linked to Plot's armor as well, so don't think you can destroy it without defeating me first! Robots, attack!" *cue extended fight scene that lasts for thirty pages involving giant robots, lasers, plot manipulation, and epic screaming noises* Platypus landed on the ground, exhaustion etched into every aspect of his being. "I can't *huff* beat him. That armor really is indestructible when he's not boasting about it being so. And the D.o.O.M. machine spits out those robots endlessly. Unintelligible, how long do we have left?" Unintelligible paused from the task of sending endless waves of bullets toward the similarly endless waves of robots to glance down at his Destruction or Obliteration Machine Scanning/Detecting Apparatus Yellow (It was painted yellow) "Only a few minutes until full power is achieved! Storms Platypus, is there nothing you can do?" Platypus clenched his teeth. "I can't get through that armor! Once he was too tired to keep gloating, it was all just a stalemate. At least he lacks the offensive power to really damage me, but... blast it!" A cold wind blew in from the west, and Omen was there. "I see that the two of you are in need of help. Worry not. I shall deal with this evil one." N.E.G.A.T.I.V.E., done crawling out of the crater that Platypus had blasted him into, had begun laughing in an out-of-breath sort of way. "You're doomed! In mere moments, this Thread will have a new master. Soon, I will RU-what is that?!" Omen advanced towards N.E.G.A.T.I.V.E., laser blasts from the robots simply passing through him as though he did not exist. He swelled up in front of the terrified evil genius, forming into a insectoid monster straight out of a nightmare. "Hello, evil one. It is time to go." Before N.E.G.A.T.I.V.E could do more than sputter Omen pressed a segmented hand to his chest and wreathed him in black smoke. A moment later, N.E.G.A.T.I.V.E. was gone. Unintelligible's jaw hung open for a moment. "You... killed him? That easily? But how?" Omen, shrinking down to his normal size and becoming slightly less terrifying, shook his head. "He is not dead. I have sent him to a trial in the... well, you could say that he is in a dream. If he does not overcome the pride that weakens his Armor in time, he will be trapped there forever." Unintelligible frowned. "But... isn't that dangerous? What if he finishes the trial?" Omen broke apart into a fog, swirling in thought. "Well, he would go to the Dreamsmith of course." "And the Dreamsmith would deal with him?" "Of course the Dreamsmith would-ah, he has finished his trial-the Dreamsmith will deal with him." Unintelligible relaxed. "That's good. I thought for a moment... but no, thank you Omen." Platypus raised a hand. "How exactly will the Dreamsmith deal with N.E.G.A.T.I.V.E.? I couldn't kill him even when he was prideful. Does he have some powerful weapons?" "The Dreamsmith will deal with him as he always does. By looking into his soul and forging from it what the supplicant needs. In this case, I suspect it will be a weapon of great power, capable of helping N.E.G.A.T.I.V.E. on his path to total domination." Platypus and Unintelligible stared at Omen in horror. "But... why?" Before Omen could answer, N.E.G.A.T.I.V.E. reappeared, clutching an Axe wreathed in shadows and looking much more reserved. As Unintelligible's D.o.O.M.S.D.A.Y. hit zero, he smiled. "Now Platypus, where were we?" THE END

"Hm. I believe you." The General pulled back, maces in a guarding position. "Take your master and go. I want only the Great Wizard." The Dreamsmith smiled. "To see you. May I come in?"

The General's countless eyes narrowed, and she continued attacking relentlessly. "You are skilled, swordsman. Tell me, what is your teacher's role in this conspiracy?" "Not home? I could have sworn that I heard of him receiving visitors in his castle just a few pages ago. Wherever has he gone?" The Dreamsmith surreptitiously tried to shove the door open.

The General swung her maces at Selppaenip from all sides at once, aiming to crush him between them. "I don't know, but you must turn at once! We are almost within range of their Volcanic lasso!" "I am called the Dreamsmith, and I seek the Narrator known as Onyx."