PDARPG MISC: 3/3; magnum opus - 757 words

"Steve? Steve?" Caspian tapped the earpiece. No answer. He groaned. "Great, there's no reception here at all."

 

The Sorceress turned to him, looking at the shifter warily with one eyebrow raised.

 

Caspian huffed at her, crossing his arms. "Oh, please. You already made me jump into a well. Don't act like you haven't spoken to, uh... imaginary things yourself."

 

Steve was nowhere near imaginary, but it was a lot easier to explain than what she really was. Whatever this world was, it didn't even seem to have electricity. An Artificial Intelligence Interface in a time machine had the high probability of not making sense to these people.

 

The woman pushed her large, round-rimmed glasses up on her nose. Not that she could say that she hadn't. She suddenly turned to the side, as though there was something or someone there. She set her hands on her hips. "Do you really have to mock every single person you see?"

 

Caspian pinched his lips together into a thin line, trying his hardest not to laugh.

 

"What are you doing?!" Someone suddenly yelled, and drew the attention of both the woman, and the shifter. A small, dark person floated to the Sorceress like an angry wasp. Their body was adorned in sand-colored structures, and the face obstructed by an intricately carved mask, with only their red eyes showing. "What do you think this is? A tourist attraction? Build houses while you're at it! Let people live here! Make my Magnus a food capital, why would you?"

 

The woman pushed the small thing away with her hand. She then gestured at them and Caspian in turns a few times. "Wuju, dude - dude, Wuju."

 

"Caspian," the Athos corrected her.

 

"Wuju, Caspian - Cas--"

 

"WHO CARES ABOUT NAMES!" Wuju screamed angrily, almost trembling from rage. The others' amused expressions didn't help his temper the slightest.

 

A loud thud silenced the strange trio where they stood - or where two of them stood, and one floated. Quickly after, a man made his way down the stairs to the lowest level of the circular structure. Seeing him made the red-haired woman's whole face light up.

 

"Kyr!" She exclaimed loudly, straightening both of her arms towards the small man - or maybe she was just tall. The man froze instantly, and his eyes widened. When he lifted his eyes to the Sorceress, he seemed to relax.

 

The woman walked past the man on the ring-shaped path. "You have a twink to take care of. He's going to Heidel, I think. Help the poor thing, would you?"

 

Kyrulo petrified again. "What do you mean me? What do you mean twink? Jitka!"

 

Jitka only sauntered forward, and stopped at a portal that had an ornamental seal decorating it. "Oh, and I'm borrowing Villilintu."

 

"I noticed!" The man shouted back at her right before she disappeared into nothingness. It was hard not to notice when someone took the only Arduanatt they had at their disposal.

 

Caspian fidgeted with his claws awkwardly. He inhaled. "So... Kyr...?"

 

Kyrulo silenced him with a raised arm. "Don't call me that."

 

"What should I call you then?"

 

The man didn't answer to the eternal. He gestured the beanpole to follow, stopping in front of another portal. This one had a symbol with a stylized lion on it. "Go on."

 

Caspian followed the man's instructions warily. He approached the portal, and reached out his hand - until he hastily pulled it away. "Problem," he said, and turned around, "it's asking for five million silver."

 

"Ah," Kyrulo exhaled casually. He dug a fabric pouch from one of the many pockets his outfit seemed to have. He tossed it to the Athos, who caught it between his hands with an utterly shocked expression. "That should be five," Kyrulo added.

 

Caspian shifted his widened gaze from the pouch to the man. "You're just giving me five million?!"

 

The man snorted, clearly not in the mood to explain all the ins and outs of the economy. "Good horseshoes cost half a million per set. That's nothing."

 

Caspian didn't have a chance to give the other a reply, before Kyrulo turned to the side, just like Jitka earlier. He was clearly annoyed at something.

 

The Athos tilted his head curiously. "Do you all have imaginary friends or something?"

 

The question drew a weird look from both Kyrulo and Wuju. The small, floating person approached the neon-accented beanpole. "Have you seriously not heard of Black Spirits?"

 

Caspian quickly turned on his heels, and jumped into the portal. "At this point, I don't even want to."