Two things: A notice and a recorded dream.

[allegedprisoner]

Journal Entry

Sender: Luca Balsa
To: Everyone
Subject: Received a strange note by paper bird.

To those who were previously in the Index: Has anyone else received a letter delivered in the form of a live paper bird? I don't mean to raise any alarms, but it said the Story Eater might have followed us here somehow. Perhaps we ought to inform everyone else about the fellow just in case?

To Eli Clark and anyone else who was invited to Orpheus Manor (Forgive me if I got the name of the place wrong): Looking through the above letter and my previous entries in this journal, I remembered something that might explain some discrepancies. It seems while my soul was in the Index, the Story Teller who brought me there put a copy of my soul in my original body. Which allegedly got pulled into a strange hunting game in which he was prey? I'm not entirely sure how I feel about this, but I apologize for any confusion or inconvenience my doppelganger may have caused.

Recorded Dream

Sender: Luca Balsa
To: Everyone
Subject: Dream recording

[ Luca's in an old mansion... Abandoned, by the looks of it. There's dust and cobwebs everywhere and the sensation that the whole place may collapse if he stepped on a floorboard funny. But he knows there's something for him here.

What might be here? He's not sure, but it could bring a revelation and was rightfully his. He passes by a large portrait of a man whose face had melted into the canvas, paint dripping down the canvas and further obscuring the figure. There's a neglected book case nearby... This may be it? Luca starts taking books off the shelves and starts thumbing through them. Notebook after notebook, but it's hard to make out the scribbles on the pages. There's a copy of some adventurous novel placed among the journals, something about a man lost at sea...

A loud noise interrupts Luca's perusal. Footsteps! Someone must be here with him!

He closes the book and shoves it under his arm. He must not be seen here! He can hear his heart beating in his chest as he makes for the window, knowing full well that going through the door could bring him closer to the other fellow. The room seems much larger than he first imagined it to be, but he makes it through the window just as he heard someone opening the door...

It's a short fall. He lands on his side, and wakes up. ]

Comments

[opportunitycosts]

Wait.

Couldn't we also just do it through the journals?

[bloodinbloom]

I had Medusa.

[fatedmahou]

[This place had a thing for destroying words, huh? Whether it comes from people's worlds or other means.]

That's concerning. What do I need to keep an eye out for? Is there anything that I can do to help out?

[assist]

[ A mystery, is it not? ]

It does make one curious what fragment that may be.
Nevertheless, I cannot blame you for that decision.
The manor which we resided in.. it is not a place most would wish to go back to.
Of course, I cannot say that with extreme confidence, since we all have arrived there for our own personal reasons.

Ah, but you've mentioned a Story Eater, this is something you're familiar with in the place you were before? Different from the Story Teller?

[legbreakings]

I don't expect anyone who wasn't there themselves to share my concern.

I want to be wrong. I hope this place is what it claims to be.

As for the Story Eater, I see. I wouldn't even know how to go about recreating stories. But I can help with the fighting, if you ever need more manpower.

[allegedprisoner]

That is true, though I was referring to something else. Did I tell you I went to the Index before I received that invitation?

[ He'd rather not mention he was in prison here, in public. Surely the Seer would understand that? ]

Much different, I'm afraid. The Story Eater was an entity who wished to destroy everything around it. As you might guess, his main method was to destroy stories, so we would fight back by repairing the stories. Though sometimes we would have to fight off the Story Eater and his minions almost directly.

[allegedprisoner]

Only time will tell for sure, but I do have confirmation that this is a newly formed world. The tapirs weren't lying about that, at least.

I appreciate your offer, sir. Since the essence powers we formerly had were the most effective against him, we may have to practice using dreamotion energy to the fullest potential.

[allegedprisoner]

[ . . . There's a minute before he writes down a response. ]

Our essence abilities were more effective, but since we don't have those here we may need to rely on this Dreamotion thing... Or that's what others who have replied to me have suggested.

[allegedprisoner]

Excellent suggestion! We're already discussing the matter through the journals as it is, so someone may need to make a formal announcement.

[allegedprisoner]

[ Medusa, Medusa, where did he hear of that... The name brings to mind a snake woman, and the last time he met one of those must have been during that horrible story... ]

I believe we may have met personally before? Around Christmas, in that story about science gone wrong?

[opportunitycosts]

I'd volunteer, but I haven't been around long enough to really write up anything useful. Still, it's probably the best method. Plus it'll make it easier to refer back to later.

[bloodinbloom]

Oh, yeah! And the costumes seemed really weird.

[allegedprisoner]

What do you mean, at the end of it?

[allegedprisoner]

[ No, just the Story Eater as far as Luca knows. ]

I'm not sure, other than practice with Dreamotion powers. The most effective weapons were tied to essences we no longer have, so Dreamotion may be our next best thing.

[bloodinbloom]

Yeah. I don't think the character I played briefly was supposed to be dressed up in a black and white suit. It kind of reminded me of a cow.

[djbubbles]

It is but I don't think we have a choice, dude.

I wonder if we can use dreamotion to get at least some of our essence abilities back.

[Not that the Kappa had much other than having knowledge of certain martial arts moves, and being able to breathe underwater (well at first it was being able to hold his breath for much longer, but then it evolved).

It sucks that he can't change into Carapace while dreamwalking.]

[seemagicshit]

So we get to smack a monster with the power of dreams?

This place always has something new to surprise you.

So if we don't do anything and it takes a big bite, wouldn't we just wake up?

[assist]

That's right... I'm still trying to wrap my mind around that.

That's quite the tale, a world centered on stories..
If it's true that this Story Eater has come here, would that mean there are stories involved here?

[fatedmahou]

[If that were the case, at least this place might be spared her home's fate. Well, maybe not if this Story Eater really was here.]

Dreamotion is something that we'll likely need to get used to here anyway. If the means to take care of this threat no longer exists, then we simply have to find another solution. I use magic, so Dreamotion shouldn't be too hard to figure out, but it's too early to say I understand it just yet.

[allegedprisoner]

No harm done, the situation is a bit confusing for me as well.

I'm not entirely sure, but the letter did mention something about this world occasionally linking to realm of stories. Given the malleable nature of dreams, we may well see things that were inspired by stories.

[legbreakings]

It will be a while then until I can provide any support. But I'm available if necessary.

[allegedprisoner]

Thank you, [ Sir? Madam? Hard to tell the gender when the stranger's name is so unfamiliar to you. Uh... ] we'll appreciate it either way.

[allegedprisoner]

[ Thankfully there's still time to prepare... ]

You still have some sort of advantage. I used to have Essence-related abilities back in the Realm of Stories, but those didn't make it here with me.

[allegedprisoner]

That's a good question, but since a part of ourselves is in here while the rest is presumably awake...

[ ... He doesn't like the idea. Does he even want to continue? ]

[allegedprisoner]

[ Cow suit, cow suit... ]

I don't remember what I was wearing, but I think the person I was in the scene with was dressed in some medieval outfit, and we saw someone carrying a giant carnivorous plant.

[ Rather dreamlike now that he's written it. ]