Well This is an Interesting Development

Chapter 1: Not Dead. Yet.

He sighed as he looked around at the dystopian Ardonia, his gaze landing in the town in the distance. He started walking toward it, that is where he would get answers of what had happened.

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No one seemed to notice him as he walked through town. No one paid attention to him as he walked through the streets. Ingressus however noticed lots of things.

What are these... creatures? He wondered, I have never seen anything like this before...

He had not seen anything like these species in Ardonia. They were all different, all in different shapes and sizes, looking strangely demonic and out of place.

Where did they come from? He kept wondering as he watched a rigged, purple coloured, six legged, larva shaped, monster scuttle past him. The Deathsinger kept walking when a small purple skinned creature with wings flew in front of his face. He relaxed slightly, he recognized the fairy from stories he had been told.

But fairies are not real...right?

His thoughts were interrupted when the fairy itself screamed at him.

"GIVE ME YOUR SKIN!"

It got closer to his face, opening its mouth to reveal large, pointy teeth. Out of instinct he took out his sword and sliced it in half.

"Awww come on! I was going to use that for fairy pie!"

The Deathsinger jumped back startled from the sudden voice behind him. He turned around to see some weird kind of humanoid red pig. It had four eyes, a green cloak and some bag that seemed to be full of something that was writhing. Ingressus tried to understand what the creature was talking about, "Fairy... pie?"

The humanoid pig perked up, "Yeah! Best dessert on the Boiling Isles! Ah well, I'll have to go find more fairies, nice meeting you!" The creature ran off as the Deathsinger's mind started spinning.

"Boiling Isles?!"

Where the nether are the Boiling Isles?! What the nether are the Boiling Isles?!

The strange creature kept walking away and Ingressus was left with more questions than there were answers. He rubbed his forehead and went to see if he could find answers to his queries elsewhere.

What happened with the portal?

Where am I?

He walked aimlessly, until he saw something vaguely familiar. He walked up to a building with a sign on it.

Grimgrubs pub?

At least Ingressus was familiar with pubs, perhaps he could find answers there. He opened the swinging doors and walked in. There weren't many people... or creatures in the pub.

He walked up to the counter wondering what he could do. The person at the counter was cleaning it with a rag and looked up at the Deathsinger as he approached.

"Drink?"

Ingressus nodded unsteadily and set some gold down on the table. The bartender stared down at it then back at him.

"What's this?"

"Gold?"

"...I only accept snails."

Snails?!

"I do not... have any at the moment."

The bartender sighed and grabbed some drink from under the counter, sliding it across the countertop to Ingressus.

"Here. I'll put it on your tab." Then he muttered something that was barely heard, "Not like anyone actually pays for it... damn you Owl Lady."

Ingressus turned the bottle over. 'Apple Blood,' what an odd name for liquor, even odder that it was in some sort of small box with a straw.

He examined the box with a confused look, "What is this stuff?" He wondered under his breath. He brought it to his mouth and tried it. He tried not to gag when he tasted it. The Deathsinger set the box back down on the counter and pushed it back to the bartender.

Nether. That is terrible.

He sighed as the bartender took the Apple Blood and tossed it. He walked back over to Ingressus and tried to start up a conversation, "Don't like Apple Blood, huh?"

When Ingressus didn't respond he asked more questions to get his attention, "Haven't seen you around before, what's your name?"

The Deathsinger looked up at the question, "I would rather not disclose that information."

The bartender snorted and asked yet another question.

"Where are you from then?"

A half lie perhaps?

"Northwind."

"Never heard of it...is that near the Knee?"

"The... Knee?"

"Not from there then?"

"I am a...traveller."

The bartender raised his eyebrows before responding in a cautious voice, "Really? You friends with Eda?" Ingressus's eyebrows furrowed in confusion, "Who?"

The bartender gave him a bizarre look, "How do you not know the Owl Lady? What, with her being so famous here."

"Famous?"

"Yeah, I mean, it makes sense. With her being the most wanted criminal in the Boiling Isles."

"Ah."

"Yeah. She never pays her tab. Just because she's powerful and has a fancy portal and all, doesn't mean she shouldn't have to pay." Something that the person said stuck out to Ingressus more than anything else.

"Portal?"

The bartender nodded, "That's where she gets all her junk... I can't say I haven't bought any because I have but-"

"Go back to the portal part."

"How have you not heard about this?She uses it all the time but it still shouldn't mean she doesn't have to pay her tab..."

Ingressus was not listening to the bartender at that point. There was a possibility that he had not even considered and he wanted to slap himself now that he had figured it out.

I am not in Ardonia at all!

How did this happen? How COULD this happen... and where was he now...

He interrupted the bartender again, "Where am I?"

The bartender gave him a strange look as the Deathsinger had interrupted his rant, "You're in Bonesborough..."

It was not enough, "Is that the name of this town or the name of the place?"

The bartender looked more confused than ever, "Titan, where exactly are you from? Some other island? We're on the Boiling Isles!"

Ingressus tuned him out after that, only listening to his thoughts.

The Boiling Isles?! What is this place? I must have missed something when making the portal... or Tygren could have on his side...

"You okay man?"

The Deathsinger looked up as the bartender interrupted his thoughts. He sighed as he tried to figure out a plan, "Where can I find this... Owl... Lady..."

The bartender nodded his head in a random direction as he explained, "She lives just outside Bonesborough."

"Thank you"

The Deathsinger got up and headed out of the bar in the random direction he had been pointed in. As Ingressus walked out he heard one last shout.

"DON'T FORGET TO PAY YOUR TAB!"

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