Author's Note

Welcome to the new fic, Everyone! This a project between myself and three lovely individuals Maziodyne, Pyro Mance and *drumroll* Naturefang!

If you could not tell from both the short/long description, I don't blame you as I suck with explaining stuff so I'll try here. This is a Displaced fic (Insert "Ugh, Displaced? Downvote!" comment here)! I know this first chapter may be confusing but...that's because Naturefang has the Prologue in his story so you should probably read that first to get a better understanding of what's happening to our characters. Just a tip.

Now for my story. This is something I've wanted to try for a while and I think I've gotten the chance. Journal entries! Yes, I love them, do you? I hope so, cause that's what this story is all about! Well, It's more about the struggles of a man who been taken over by his own character and that character writing about his adventure in the Griffon Empire but I digress. I'd appreciate constructive criticism and all that. SO! I hope you enjoy the ride..cause it's gonna be a dozy.

Chapter one: First Contact

5/4/456

The only few things I can really say about being unconscious is that it’s dark, like pitch black to the point you couldn’t even see your hand. But, the other thing I can say is that it feels brief most of the time, key point there is that it feelsbrief. I mean, you could be in a coma for what, five years? When you wake up, you’d have felt like it was five to six seconds. Why do I say “Most of the time”? Well...the black out I’m was feeling two weeks ago did not feel like it was seconds.

I don’t know how I can describe it. Fuck, I don’t think I know if I could describe the sensation I felt when I arrived here. But, Tavi suggested that I write my thoughts down so...I guess I might try. Have you ever gotten sleep paralysis? When you’re conscious and can look around but your muscles aren’t awake yet, locking you in place. That’s what it was like for me...and let me tell ya, it is terrifying, more than terrifying actually. What was even worse,was the darkness. You see, most of the time in sleep paralysis you actually see your surroundings. But, since I saw nothing, I felt the ground I was sitting on, the tree my back laid against, the maggots getting at my dead flesh. I could hear their wriggling, the sounds of steps and wheels of carts rolling by, not noticing me. I smelled the fumes of smoke from distant campfires...rotting corpses of animals long since past.

When I woke up, my vision was blurry, I could feel the soft rain hit my body as I winced a bit when it got in my eyes. I blinked a few times, feeling as if time itself was slowing down for me, lack of blood is most likely the cause of that. Each blink felt so slow, it felt like I could see the world a tiny bit more clearly but then lose it as blackness would engulf me for about ten or fifteen seconds before I’d see the world again, only for the process to repeat. I don’t know, maybe that’s just a thing that happens but, at least at the time, it felt like that was on purpose but I don’t know why.

It was then..at that moment, I saw my surroundings for the first time. I was in a small clearing, or at least my back was facing the clearing. It was hazy, a fog was rolling in with it’s gentle touch as I could see the dying rays of light from the sun beside me on a rock that wasn’t covered in shade like I was. I tried to move but all I felt was pain as I slumped back against the tree. Through all that time, I don’t think I opened my mouth once to speak, only to moan in pain or to breathe.

...I, I remember feeling...dread? Yep, it was dread that I felt, in the fog. I can’t explain why it just, made my spine tingle. I got up after what felt like at least an hour though it was most likely five minutes, I looked around for awhile, hoping to hear some sound of footsteps or a cart going down the road or, anything for that matter. I would have accepted the sound of a bird chirping or a wolf growling...but I got nothing, just the sound of my breathing.

I looked down at at my hand for the first time since I had woken up and my eyes went from they’re frightful confusion to “what the fuck!?”(truth be told, those where the first words I said during this time) amounts of confusion at what I had witnessed. My hand looked like it was from a cartoon to be truthful with you, my skin was olive in tone with a darker tone of it at the edge, acting as some sort of outline for my arm which reminded me of cartoons. I looked down and, low and behold, the brown trench coat I was wearing also had that effect. Now that I think about it, where did I get this trench coat? As I said before, it was brown, kind of a...bland colour? Most likely the best way to describe it, yeah. I had these arm slings and holsters attached to my clothing, I wasn’t really sure of it at the time but..I can assure you now that it was for things like weapons and potions..that sort of stuff. Actually, maybe that’s why the right side of my back didn’t feel as hard on the tree as my left side? The scabbard for my favorite weapon helped most likely. Anyway. Where was I?

Oh, yeah..forgive me, I remember..a lantern, I can’t exactly remember where or even how I found it. But, it seemed to have been just there, almost waiting for someone to hold it and turn it on to guide them through the dark, and let me tell you, this lantern as become like, my best friend. So, Here I am, in an unknown place with the fog rolling in and the night sky blooming over like a flower with it’s stars twinkling in the sky, with my skin and clothing being all cartoonish in style and clutching a lantern with a hand that’d put an early stage Parkinson's victim to shame. No..that, that was bad, forgive me, please, That was just distasteful.

Now, I know what you may be thinking, I’m losing my fucking mind with seeing this kind of shit. Now, back then, with me looking behind my back every five seconds, I would have believed you...and, to be honest. I think I still am losing myself. But, that’s not important now. See, as I was walking, I felt I was being watched...and the scary part is that I think it was the forest itself that was watching me. No ghouls or skeletons or anything physical. I mean, yeah, trees are technically alive but that’s not what I mean, I felt as though they were watching my every move..every step, every single taken breath. It was scary, I’ll be honest..hell, I’ll be more honest by admitting that I cried like a baby. But, something happened, something that I praise all the time now that has helped me keep my sanity...I saw something.

Now this...god, I remember this. The fog at the time had gotten heavier, but I was still able to see somewhat. The moon, or at least what was left of it was swallowed up by the clouds above, leaving me with only the lantern to keep me calm. Even though I remember the event almost vividly, I’m not sure where the creature popped up from. It was like..I saw this space in between some trees, then when I blinked, it was there. At the time, it was just an outline, just a shadow..but now, as I sit here in this rickety chair and think it over, every detail was burned into my mind.

It was tall, around six foot nine to seven foot three in height, I’m not entirely sure which I should go with. Now, I’ve faced many things in my travels, but this thing..this thing was different. It wasn’t demonic, or at least I couldn’t sense any demonic energy from it. It was just..there, a creature. Every move I made, slow or fast drew its attention. I smelled death..and rot off it’s wet, leathery skin, I almost gagged at the picked scabs and open wounds around it’s body, almost as if it was showing off. From what I now know of it through local villagers, it was called a Blindsider. That wasn’t the worst part either...I think the worst part was it’s face. No eyes...none whatsoever, a mouth that split off at the middle of the jaw, making look like an insect’s mandibles as they could move by themselves was the only thing on it’s face.

Then, I felt the ringing...the absence of sound as its mouth moved, almost like it was saying something but I couldn’t hear, only my breath. I did the most logical thing I thought of at the time by reaching for a sword on my back, which resulted in me remembering that a sword was not there. So, I stood there, stiff with fear as the creature’s hand glowed a faint white. This glow, as I later found out, was it using its magic as sounds of the forest flowed into my ears. I’d had been with only my breath for so long, no animal noises or the sound of my foot hitting the ground or even the rusty swinging of my lantern. When the sound came back, I was disoriented but still held my footing.

That, I hope, was the one thing that helped save my sorry ass. The creature started to slowly walk towards me, allowing me to see more of it’s body. It’s legs were mangled and deformed like a cat or goat, still no fur or any trace of hair on it as it walked. It’s mouth was chattering, almost as if it were trying to speak to me as it continued onward while each step making a squishing sound. The mud having formed a bit ago, sorry if I had not mentioned that. I just stayed there, I don’t know why I stayed there, I just felt so scared, so lost...so hopeless for some reason that I can’t explain.

When it got to me, towering over me with it’s anorexic body, I could hear its breath. It was soft, cold and distant, wheezing for an unnatural amount of time. “...You...are mine..” was the only thing that came out of its mouth, its tone being that of someone you would hold dear, a friendly voice that was jumbled up with a killer’s.

“Wha-what?” I asked, barely getting the words out as the being’s three fingered hand wrapped around my neck, cutting off my air supply. I struggled, I flailed about as adrenaline finally kicked into high gear but it wasn’t enough. This thing overpowered me greatly, picking me up with ease as it brought it’s face closer to mine. Even though it didn’t have any eyes, it felt as if it was staring into my soul...that still terrifies me.

Sorry, I’m being emotional again, this staring went on for what felt like forever, just me and this thing. We stared at each other for long enough that, I’m sure we’d both remember the other’s face for a long time. Then, when it seemed like I was about to black out again, a miracle happened. I could hear the sound of a kart coming by, the sounds of hooves carrying it across the land. With one last use of my strength, I called for help as loud as I could. Funny, if it was just a little quieter, I would have been dead.

The thing dropped me when the kart stopped, the hooves moving around in strange patterns that I didn’t know about until recently. There was knocking and talking but I couldn’t make out any of it. I turned back to where the beast was and it was gone, practically vanished from sight. I lay my head in the mud, taking in the air with long, heavy breaths as I heard the hooves coming towards me. At the time, I thought it was the people using their horses to get to me faster...what I actually saw was far different from what I was expecting.

Four beings approached my battered form, just as cartoonish looking as I did. Two of them looked like a mixture of a horse or pony and a human, with equine ears on the top of their head and small muzzles where their mouths and noses were. They dressed like humans, though, with one wearing a black tank top with a purple jumper or hoodie tied around it’s waist. I could also tell that it was female or just feminine in appearance with white fur all around it’s body. Its hair was long and spiky with two tones of colour in it, dark blue and light blue with a tail of the same two tones. Her legs were also like that of a horse or pony, bending backwards a bit.

The other...pony (god is that hard for me to get used to) was also feminine in shape with the same characteristics in biology. The fur on her body was grey as well as her hair and tail. She was wearing a formal dress, Black in colour with a pink waistband. She also appeared to have a bowtie around her neck but for such a backwater place that we all seemed to be in, it still confuses me why she’ll only take it off when she sleeps. Sorry, I’m getting ahead of myself.

The last two were not a mix of equine and human but rather human and bovine. However, they were not Minotaurs, I was asked to remind anyone who reads this of that fact that their species and Minotaurs are entirely different..I don’t know the difference myself but I’m not one to get into trouble due to racial stuff.

One was taller than the others, who I wish to say as a reminder to myself were about four foot to about four foot 2 inches in height, not exactly sure on that one. However the Bulls were about five feet tall. They were both wearing cloaks to keep themselves dry from the rain but I could make out that one had armor underneath. I think it was leather armor but, the rain still in my eyes and the fact I was blacking out made that difficult.

As soon as they came, I was losing my vision. The cold embrace of darkness filling me once again as I could only hear or feel. I heard them speaking. One of the...ponies...I think saying. “What the hell is this thing?” with the other sounding like she was scolding the first in a rather posh voice. Though, it did seem natural.

One of the bulls said, in probably the gruffest voice I would ever hear in my life. “Come on, let’s get this thing in the wagon and go back to town..” with him then apologizing that the two mares would be late for something, I couldn’t make it out as I finally fell unconscious.

Now, I would continue but Tavi is calling me for dinner so I’ll have to cut this first entry short, Yeah I know, it was long as hell but I could have made it longer, ta ta for now.