"I'm sick." The Animator replies. "The world, like my head is out of joint."

That reply makes you pause, and suddenly the rat is charging you.  Despite clearly seeing it, its still a surprise how fast the rodent can accelerate.  Its fang are out, but it seems to be ready to do something tricky...not that there is much time for that before it slams into you.

PT

I haphazardly put my sword away and put the broom between my legs, kicking off and trying to fly.  Even if I drop the sword, I can always pick it back up later.  I think to myself, hoping that the broom will fly for me as I still hold the fire scroll in my left hand while I try to steer the broom (if it works) with my right hand.

You lurch off the ground with startling force, and the rat in his eagerness to bite you on the leg as he bears down on you crosses his two front legs, and trips himself into a somersault.

You're floating high in the air with the sword on the ground.

You fly deftly into the next room, and see the Animator in bed.  He is holding a hankerchief.

And then he blows his nose.  All the color on his face flies off and splats on the wall.

"I'm having trouble adjusting back to the Heart."  He mutters.

You're normal size now.

PT
OOC: And yes, the dice really like you.  A lovely skill roll for you followed by the rat botching.  I thought I had a good chance of versing you out there, but not so.

I wipe my forehead and look at the splattered color on the wall.  "Wow, you really do have it bad, but maybe I can help out."

I lean the broom against the wall and make my way next to his bed.  "I'm going to try to heal you.  Is that okay?"

I ask him it directly and if he accepts, I ask him what his symptoms are and focus on curing them, channeling my power like Merlin had taught me in healing magic.

You focus your energies, and then you feel them spiralling out of you, and suddenly you're tired, but the Animator is looking a good bit better.  He still sneezes, but the Color Flew is now staying put.

"What can I do for you? I mean. <cough> as long as its not all that hard."

PT

I hold my head to keep my balance.  "I was just wondering if you could take some time once you're better and talk to your source to get me that husky you promised."  I can't help but feel myself melt inside as I think about the thought of owning a siberian husky pup.

I can't wait!  The fur, and the soft eyes, and the cute little nose and-  I stop my daydream and look at the Animator once more.  "Also, I have become attached and made some friends over in Camelot.  You seem like a powerful individual and I was wondering if you could draw up a super anti-zombie weapon for me.  Could you some time?"

"I've already talked to the person involved.  She said, she's seen you in the Waking World."  He pauses, raises an eyebrow.

"As to anti-zombie..."  He hands you two business cards.  "These people might help."

One card says...Anita Blake, Private Investigator.  The other says Ash-Housewares--S-Mart.

PT

I take the cards and say, "Thanks.  I'll visit you my next visit to the Heart to check up on you."  I take my newly acquired broom and open the door, to check if my sword is on the floor and if the room is normal size.

Whether I retrieve my sword or if I can't get it, I leave the rat alone and say, "There's no place like the Flying Monkies' Rebel Headquarters!"

I should really get back to the Waking World soon, but it would be nice to visit my friends and tell them the good news first.

Your sword is still shrunk so you leave it.

And then you are whirled away to a scene of joy.  Flying monkies swarm through the sky, hang from trees, wait in banquet table lines on large tables of food, and yell, scream, and shriek their joy.

It takes perhaps thirty seconds for them to stop making noise entirely after you arrive.  And then you see about a hundred monkey's divebombing you intent on getting in their hug, or slap on the back before the others do.

PT

"Hey guys, what's new?"  I laugh, and then see them divebombing to hug me.

I can't help but laugh more as I hug and shake hands with as many of the flying monkies as possible.  If I start to feel tired or they finally stop hugging me, I speak.

"Friends, I'm glad to see that you all already know that the witch is defeated.  I guess the broom gave it away.  I want you to know that you are not entirely free yet.  You are still shackled by disunity and you must unite.  You should allign yourselves with the nearby Oz and build a country of your own now that the Witch is gone."

Then, I look down some in thought about Camelot.  I have to get back there next time I return to the Heart.  I can't let them stand alone any longer!  Merlin's sacrificed so much for me, and I can't let them go to battle unless I know that I've done all that I can.  I don't try to hide my saddness in my face from the monkies watching.

The monkeys are curious about what saddens you, and when you explain the situation, they draw apart to discuss something.

Then one of them comes up to you as a designated spokesperson.

"We could spare thirty of our number to help this Camelot.  Meanwhile the rest of us will form the Monkey Nation, and make peace treaties with Glinda the Good and others like her."

PT

"Thank you so much for your help.  I want you all to make sue that the thirty who go are fully aware that this is a dangerous situation and the enemy is very powerful.  Camelot is losing this war.  But good is worth fighting for.  When the thirty go, they need to explain that Krillis Dragonslayer, a friend of Merlin, sent them.  Thanks again, but I have to go find a way to fight the enemy while I still have some time left."

At that, I wave goodbye and focus, shouting, "There's no place like Ash-Housewares--S-Mart!"  How can I save Camelot?  The first step is to remove the enemy.  Maybe these people have something that could un-infect the zombies.

The world whirls away from you, and you come back in a department store with linoleum under your feet, a cashier's counter to your left, and a pile of plushie Siberian Huskies to your right, and ...

Suddenly you feel yourself lifted off the ground, and slammed onto the counter by the throat.  An incredibly strong hand is choking you, and the other hand is holding a garden spade with price ticket on it (3.99$) next to your eye.

"Talk!" Ash whispers into your face.  "And it better be good, or I might have to go digging for answers inside your skull.  Who sent you?"

PT

I hold the card that the Animator gave me and I say, "The Animator sent me here.  He said that you could help me.  Please, I don't want to cause any trouble.  Can you let me go?  I heard that you had means for fighting zombies."

If he releases me, I gasp for a moment and catch my breath.

No matter his response, I glance around the store to see if there's anything in there that's of interest, other than the husky plushies of course!

He lets you go, and hops up on a counter.

"Sheila, tell the super, I'm taking a break. And if he don't like it, he can sob out his sorrow in the Kleenex that are on sale on aisle nine."  Then another leap, and another to counter after counter until he is up against the wall where a big glass case holds rifles and shotguns.

Ash opens it.

And starts loading up a shotgun.

"I think a couple hundred rounds will do, and I'll also bring a chainsaw."

You are looking around the store.  You're currently in Housewares which is next to Hunting.  Its your typical department store filled with thousands of items.  What are you looking for?

PT

I try to browse around the store for mainly holy water, but also I keep my eye out for key things of interest other than that, like that of borg technology or anything labled Red Army.

As I'm searching, I tell him, "I don't have much more time in the Heart.  I've done some difficult dreamshaping today.  Do you really think that a shotgun and chainsaw can take out an army of zombies?  I was thinking about a more wide-spread attack.  Maybe like dropping holy water on them from above or a biological weapon.  Do you have anything like that?"

I try to look inside of myself to see how much dreamshaping energy is left in me.  I wonder if I can even tell..

"Well they keep them off you while you search for some magic relic to dust them all."  Ash replies.

You don't see any holy water, although you do see Evian, Arkansaw Artesian Well Water, and El Cheapo brand tap water in a jug.

As you're walking down the sporting good aisle, you see a man in a green jacket with a cap adorned with a red star.  He is arguing with a S-Mart worker.

"You need to buy our goods for your store.  Very helpful to you in long run."

"Go away, we already have distributors." The harrassed managerial type replies.

"But..."  The salesman crowds the manager a bit.

PT

I look at the man with the red star skeptically.  Didn't Merlin say something about the Red Army fighting Camelot?  Could this be a member, or worse-a verser?

I think worriedly and pull out my fire scroll.  I know that I don't have enough dream energy to fight a full battle, so if things to break out, I have to make it quick with all of my energy into an attack that'll hit.

I look over to Ash and questioningly at the man with a red star.  I go over to Ash and ask him quietly, still holding my fire scroll in my right hand, ready to use it.  "Can you guys handle him?  I'm getting a bad feeling about this.."

With talking to him, I look around for the nearest gun that Ash himself isn't holding.  This could get bloody, and I already have decided which side that I'm on.

Ash shrugs, walks over to the guy, and pointedly asks him to leave.  The guy ignores Ash, and continues to press his case.  Ash pulls back the hammer of his shotgun, and the man waves a hand at Ash.

A fan of purple energy burst from the man's hand, and Ash sails across the room to impact a pile of foam archery targets.

"Oooh, now you've done it." Ash mutters.

The man with the Red Star looks about.

"Someone is interfering.  Where are you, little dreamshaper?"  He carols out, his right hand bathed in purple light, and his left hand shapeshifted into a sickle.

PT
OOC: Very bad GE roll.  He was going to be just an ordinary guy, but the dice made him a powerful dreamshaper.

Feel it, Krillis, feel it.  There's a burning passion inside of me, and all I have to do is find it.  I have to release a desire-a will to defeat him.

I calm my breathing, unafraid.  What he's doing isn't right!  He's abusing his powers..  I can't let him hurt anyone!

I mass my dreamshaping abilities and pull the fire scroll wide, picturing the other man engulfed in flames around his head.  I MUST WIN!!  At that, I shout at the top of my lungs, "AMEN!!"  I hold the image of flames engulfing his head with all of my focus and I put all of myself into the attack.

Fury rises in you slowly, gathering strength even as doubts and your weariness try to drag it down.  Your arms tremble from fatigue as you open the scroll, and your legs seem to want to run far away.  But you see Ash rise to his feet, shotgun in hand, with a really ticked off expression on his face, and it encourages you.

Your breathing exercise calms you.

And with pinpoint concentration you shout, and flames roar about his head.  He throws up his sickle, and deflects some of the attack onto the aisle next to him, but his hair and his army jacket are on fire.

"Die!" He screams and points a hand at you. You feel your heart stop in your chest, your lungs seize up, and you're falling sideways even as you hear ...

"Leave my little buddy alone." Ka-boom! Ka-boom!

PT

I drop the fire scroll and both of my hands seize my chest.  I feel as if things are slowing down for me, and can't help but think that now I will die.  No..it can't be like this.  I can't go like this, without accomplishing anything, without saving and protecting my friends.  IT CAN'T END THIS WAY!

Thoughts of everyone dear to me rushes through my mind.  I remember my Other self and him protecting me, the old grandmother in my neighborhood who offered me cookies, and the group of agents assigned to protect me.  My mind even goes to Merlin, Ariel, Animator, and Ash-grabbing on to anything in this place to build me up.  I won't let it end like this!

Still holding my chest, I focus myself with my little time left, if any.  Without coherent thoughts, without time for thoughts, I focus on the emotion that my heart is beating and that I am breathing.  I focus on a barrier pushing away foreign elements from my body and letting me breath again, to live.

OOC: I'm going to rule that first remind yourself as an attempt at a morale raising skill, call it Remind Self of Reasons to Live.  Unfortunately you failed.  Fortunately the other roll was better.

IC:

You try to remember their faces, but its all blurry.  And so you give in to instinct and push back.

Suddenly, you're breathing, and your heart goes ker-plop.

You sit up, just in time to see Ash get pinned to the ceiling and metal bars wrap around him, locking him into place.

"You chose a good Figment as an ally.  He's very hard to kill."

The Red Army dreamshaper says in very precise English while his sickle extends out from his hand, growing in an impossible fashion as it heads toward your neck.

You feel like you've just been beaten up.

PT

In my exhaustion, I say to him, "Wait, please.  You're strong.  I want to shake your hand before I die.  I'd also like to know your name."  Still exhausted, I don't push myself and I only try to get both knees, holding my hand up to shake if he would approach.

I make sure that my feet are right next to eachother as well.  Also, I don't even try to grab for the fire scroll.  As a final plee, if he hasn't already agreed, I say, "As one dreamshaper to the next, please.  I'm too weak to fight you anymore."

Once he shakes my hand, I tap my heels togeather and say to him calmly, but with as much emotion as I can muster, now feeding off of raw feelings to power me.  "There's no place like the Park of Heroes."

He gives you a cold look to your first request, and to your second he simply sneers and says something in Mandarin that sounds really rude.

Then he lunges his sickle toward you, and you tap your heels together shouting "There's no place..."

And the sickle slices deep.

You see black spots in front of your vision, and faintly you hear Dana shouting "He's going into convulsions, hold him......!"

And ....

=============================================================================

Next World...is Krillis on King Street.  Sorry man.

PT