The P.I.E Rises (Venturiantale)

Chapter 7: The Other Party

"Sir? Sir, are you alright?" Ghost felt a hand shake him, lightly. He shifted a little. What had happened? Had he fainted again? He opened his eyes.

"Johnny...", his voice was weak, and shaky. He was laying on a dirt path of some sort, surrounded by wildlife and nature. They seemed to be on the side of a mountain.

"You okay?", Jordan asked. He seemed a bit...surprised. Was he confused? Uncertain? He seemed as if he was trying to remember something, but what he was confused by, Ghost knew not. In fact, he was a little confused, himself.

"Yeah," he shrugged, "Fine. What happened?"

"You...you...", Toast was trying to find words, but he couldn't.

"You messed us up, kid. That's what," Papa snorted, "But what's done is done, and now we just have to get back to the right dimension, or somthin'."

"What did I do?"

"Doesn't matter." Papa smiled a little. Ghost blinked, still not understanding, but decided not to press the question any further. He looked around him. He could hear a waterfall running gently, in the morning sun. It was cold, as if they were in Canada. A soft breeze was blowing. He could see something over the hill.

"Look, Johnny! There are people!", he pointed the figures out.

"Tsk- this is- tsk- William Barricade- tsk- I'm getting sightings of strange- tsk- silhouettes- tsk- could be space alien terrorists- tsk- from another dimension- tsk- over- tsk- " , William Barricade had noticed the figures too.

"Maybe they're friendly," wondered Toast.

"And maybe they're not," Papa said in return.

"Is it just me, or is one of them green?", questioned Cierra.

"One of them's green," answered Isaac.

"Oh, look!" Bethany exclaimed, "Those two look like twins!" The figures came ever closer. They could barely make out the form of a short man, and three girls. One of them looked rather aggressive. They wore rather strange clothing- apparel you would expect to see in a fantasy game. They all carried swords.

"Wait," Jordan looked closer at the man, "Asylum?!"

"WHAT?!", everyone cried in shock.

"That man is Asylum Weaver!", Jordan exclaimed, "From my new Tale series!" Asylum seemed to notice them, too, and pointed them out to his followers. He said something they couldn't hear. Then he was coming towards them.

"Good morning!", he said, "Fine day, isn't it?" He looked at them in an odd way, as if they were very strange people.

"You're not...from here, are you?", the former pirate tilted his head a little, as if to get a better look at the adventurers. He noticed Jordan, who was smiling in a very knowing way, almost exactly like he had done with Johnny Ghost, but this time, it was more personal. As if Jordan had found a long lost friend. Asylum seemed to recognize him, but it was as if it was someone he hadn't seen in years. Jordan was but a mere memory. For a brief moment, the two men stared at each other, but then Asylum looked away.

"I'm sorry," he said, "I forgot my manners for a second. Let me introduce myself. I am Asylum Weaver. This woman here is Sari. And these are our other party members, Mimi and Lena."

The twins waved, but the one with the green face looked angry. Hostile even.

"Hello, Asylum," replied Ghost, "I am Johnny Ghost, Paranormal Investigator Extraordinaire, with my partner Johnny Toast, and our party members." He nodded at the others.