The Party of Last Hope & Dimensional Parent

Summary: Sent to a different timeline to retrieve some long lost ingredient, you and your party come across the children of your counterparts in this timeline. Though they have been changed by endless years of struggles, they seemingly have been fending for themselves for so long, it feels almost sad to see them like this

– Roles:

Major:

• Sam |S|: The parent of the listener, or rather a different iteration of the listener. The parent is from a different timeline and therefore isn’t the listener’s parent of their current timeline.

Scene: Night, near child’s campsite

[The sound of a roaring fire is heard, this is joined by the sound of the usual fauna that are active at night, like crickets and owls. Though, those soon go quiet as the light snapping of twigs and the sound of armor clanking as it moves takes over]

|S|: (Whispering) Psst…hey kiddo, are you awake? I mean, I think you’re my kid, otherwise this is going to be a very awkward situation based on the fact that I just assumed that the armor that you’re wearing and that sword that you’re using are mine; (Pause for 3 beats) Oh right, you’re fast asleep, so I couldn’t get any answers even if I wanted them. (Relieved) I think that’s probably for the best, we don’t want to get you guys’ hopes up, I mean, my party and I, we’re not your parents. Okay, yes, we’re technically your parents, we’re just not your specific parents. (Exasperated) hah, this is complicated, and I asked for an explanation like five times; Anyways, Jordan told me to explain it kind of like this, we’re from a different timeline, and it may look like yours, however there are some stark differences between our two timelines; For example, in this timeline, you might have only one parent, while in another, you may have two, you might be siblings with another one of your party members. So on and so forth; Look, time is wonky and even more so when you start to dip your toes into time magic. Well, with that out of the way, I guess I should probably address the next pressing issue, not that you’d probably notice, but that kid that’s supposed to be keeping watch over you guys, yeah, don’t worry about them, we put ‘em to sleep. (Upbeat) Got to love sandman dust, great for insomnia, or getting past an awake guard.

[The sound of armor shifting around can be heard]

|S|: Don’t worry we decided that my party and I will be keeping watch for you all; You know, this may well be the first time ever in the history of taking night watch shifts where it might actually be enjoyable to keep watch. We get to talk with you guys, and just catch up with each other. Besides, heaven knows you all deserve a good night’s rest, we’ve set up not too far from here; And don’t worry, we’re not neglecting ourselves, we’ve set up a fantastic little perimeter alert system; Best part? If it’s tripped, the alarm is silent, so only we’ll know if it’ll go off. If that fails, we still have our fantastic little animal companions to alert us, just in case someone somehow manages to disable the perimeter, so we’re set. I think all of us will appreciate getting a chance to just talk to you guys, even if you won’t know about it, at least I appreciate the chance.

[There’s a snapping of twigs, followed by the sound of the armor quickly moving to face the sound]

|S|: It’s fine, just a fox; I know, it may be a bit jumpy of me, however, you can’t be too safe after all. (Deep breath in and out) Don’t chase the fox Sam, don’t chase the fox, you have guard duty right now. Let’s change the subject, otherwise I’m going to be thinking about chasing down that fox all night. (Pensive) Hm, what should we talk about? Oh! I know, (whispering, slightly angry) I don’t know where your parents are in this timeline, but if we ever find them, oh man, we are going to strangle them. (Still whispering, anger turning into irritation) I mean what kind of parent just lets their kid do their hard work for them! I mean you’re all just kids! You shouldn’t be out here saving the world on your own, or at all for that matter. (Pause for 3 beats) Okay so maybe eighteen isn’t exactly kid age, but the sentiment is still there. To me, you all are still kids, you shouldn’t have to bear the weight of the world yourselves. So for them to do that to you all without a proper excuse, it just makes me irrationally angry.

[Armor is once again moved around, though this time, the jingling of metal within a pouch is heard]

|S|: I’m half debating whether I should stay here, or not, I don’t know, I just feel like at least someone in the party should…(Heavy exhale) But that would mean that we have to leave our version of you guys at home, alone, without us. (Tired breath) Well that’s assuming that we can’t find this timeline’s version of us, and more importantly, me; (Frustrated) Oh I better hope I never find myself, because as soon as I get my hands on myself I’m going to teach myself a lesson, hand delivered by me. (Throat clearing cough) Anyways, I guess since I’ve first watch, we’ve got plenty of time to get well acquainted with each other. Looking at how all of you are, I hate to admit it, but you’ve all grown up so strong; Certainly, all of you are on a trajectory to be stronger than, well, your parents, I mean I can just feel it radiating off of you. (Slight chuckle) I bet if I took you on one on one right now, you would probably narrowly lose. (Slight chuckle again) Sorry kiddo, but, while yes, you all are strong, we have more experience underneath our belts and when it comes to combat, experience can be the difference between a fatal strike, or being fatally stricken.

[There’s a long pause where the crackling fire takes over the sound, though just as fast as it came, it disappeared with the parent’s voice]

|S|: I mean, okay, let me demonstrate what I’m trying to say. So, say that you’re fighting someone one on one. The two of you are roughly equal in skill, how do you win the fight? Now, rationally you would dance around each other until one of you was able to get the upper hand over the other; Or, if you’re like me, and have mastered multiple types of fighting styles, you change it up and use an entirely different style than you were before. Which in turn would then allow you to press the advantage while your enemy is caught off guard. That’s how you win a fight, alternatively, if you haven’t mastered other fighting styles, well that’s why you have a battle buddy. That way you can both support each other in case one of you gets stuck with a one on one fight; If all else fails, then you can always rely on the one tried and true strategy, throwing dirt or sand in your enemy’s eyes, why do you think I always carry a bit of it in my pocket or in a little pouch on my belt. Dishonorable? I don’t think so, I mean, personally, I think the dishonorable thing to do is not fight with the intent to return home to your family.

[The Parent kneels down, their armor moving along with the parent’s body can be heard. Though after that, the sword can be heard being unsheathed.]

|S|: This is only barely relevant to the topic at hand but uhm, (Nostalgic) I noticed that you have my trusty sword; Take good care of it and it’ll take good care of you. This sword that you and I carry has been by my side for as long as I can remember, so I’ve had a lot of time to get very well acquainted with it. I know just about every little bit of this sword. And that’s another thing about experience, it gets you intimately familiar with your equipment; I mean, if you’re not intimately familiar with your equipment and their limitations, then you’ll leave yourself open for a catastrophic failure due to not properly maintaining your weapons or armor. (Focused) Speaking of, you haven’t been doing your due diligence with sword maintenance, haven’t you? 

[Another sword being unsheathed is heard, with a slight thump as it lands in the open palm of Sam]

|S|: I can see it in the blade. (Pause for 2 beats, then breath of exhaustion) I hate that you’re asleep, anyways, just try to remember to always sharpen the blade after every battle, it was made from a special metal that can cut through just about any armor, so long as you keep the blade perpetually sharpened. Now, there’s a spell to keep it perpetually sharp, but seeing as though this is how you treat my sword, I don’t think you’ve earned the knowledge on how to cast it yet. I mean don’t get me wrong, even if it becomes blunted, it can still cut through things in two or maybe three slices, but why tempt fate. (Whispering) A bit of warning though, when manually sharpening it be very careful of where you put your fingers; (Slight laughter) Cause, well, that’s how my dad lost his pinky finger. (Slight laughter) Talk about an unforgettable childhood memory 

[The sound of both swords being returned to their respective sheaths one after another takes over the scene and just as that finishes there’s a couple of pings against the armor as Sam taps against it.]

|S|: There’s also my armor that I see you wearing, I wonder if you knew that the armor you’re wearing has a little slit just below the chest plate and above the abdominal plate; A thin enough blade could slip through and strike you fatally. I mean the gap sits just above your diaphragm so one lucky hit, or one very keen eye and you’re gone. I do hope you decided to keep my little modification to the armor. Or that you took extra precaution and that you decided to reinforce my patch job with extra armor and padding. That is, assuming you can hear me in your sleep. Well, regardless, I think I did a damn good job at hiding the fatal flaw if you ask me. I should make an effort to relate this to having combat experience, if you didn’t know about that particular flaw in my armor, then not only do you know it now, you can also prepare on the off chance that you face that rare enemy that is both desperate enough to live, and perfectly attuned to their own body and all of its senses that they’re able to spot my little jury rigged fix. If you weren’t previously experienced enough to know that, then, I guess I may have just saved your life. 

[Sam stretches, and the leather underneath does so as well]

|S|: (slight chuckle) Eh, it’s probably in poor taste for me to laugh at that. (Releasing sigh) That is assuming you were awake. I guess what I’m saying is, you have to be careful out here; I know you’re old enough to take care of yourself now, but can you hardly blame me? When I look at you wearing my armor, and gosh we look so much alike, at least that’s what my friends said when we first saw the lot of you, all I can see is that little baby that I left at home in their crib, waiting for me. I can’t, no, I wouldn’t want you to get into any kind of harm, and deep down, I know that the me in this timeline probably feels the same. However, that’s enough rambling from me, I suppose I should just tell you why we’re here. We need an item, or rather an ingredient, necessary for a ritual that would help us finish an ancient weapon that is said to be able to defeat our version of your world threatening evil. The unfortunate part is that it comes from a particular animal that went extinct in our timeline. However we were able to talk with a very powerful magic caster from our timeline who then floated the possibility that the animal might actually not be extinct in other timelines.

[Once again there’s the snapping of a twig, which causes the parent and their armor to turn quickly in that direction]

|P|: (Dismissively) Eh, it’s just one of my party members, I think they’re looking for a place to uh relieve themselves. (Awkward throat clearing) Moving on, when we met this magic user, and after gathering all the ingredients did we do the ritual that then allowed us to move through time and space. Look, all I remember is a blinding white light, and that the magic caster said that we would go to a timeline that still has a sizable enough population of the animal that we’re looking for, running around that a few being gone wouldn’t be too much of an issue for the ultimate survival of the species; But there was something else, even though we were able to move through time and space, fate, fate is the one thing we wouldn’t be able to avoid. And so, fate threw its lot in with us, and guided us to a timeline where our children needed assistance.

[The sound of an owl hooting is still heard, though it is joined by the sound of a couple pieces of wood banging against more wood, the crackling of fire taking over the hooting]

|S|: Sorry, hope you don’t mind me adding some more wood to the fire, it’s pretty chilly tonight and I don’t really want to freeze to death out here. Anyways, back to what I was saying, the reason why we landed in this timeline in the first place. Yeah, we need to track down at least one of these creatures and I’m not too sure what it is we agreed on cause I spaced out but I think it was to hunt the creatures or capture them. Honestly, the only thing that I’m sure of is the fact that we’re going after them. But yeah, and the other thing that grabbed our attention was the fact that someone claiming to be the avatar of fate told us that this timeline was on its last legs. That there’s a very high chance that the same villain that threatens our timeline will win in yours. (Heavy sigh of frustration) And that’s the sad part, had we known who this timeline’s last hope was, well we would’ve done everything in our power to extend our stay; As it stands, we have enough of the magical seal left that it lets us be in this timeline…maybe a few days. So I’ll float the idea with the rest of the party, but my hope is that, while we’re here, the least we can do is set you all up for success while we hunt for the creatures that we need. So the best we can do while we’re here is at least set you all up for success as we hunt for the creatures that we need.

[There’s the sound of someone shifting in their bedroll]

|S|: (Relaxing) Scared me for a second there, I thought you were waking up (light laughter), you know, somehow I still can’t wrap my head around the set of circumstances that would lead your version of me to be unable to save the world but still leave you with the burden to save it in my stead. I mean if your version of me is anything like me, then the only way I can even imagine such a thing happening is if…(realization hits) Oh…oh no, oh kid I’m so sorry. I should’ve realized it sooner. If that’s the case, how long have you all been alone like this? A couple months? Years? Ugh, now I feel twice as disappointed in myself from this timeline. So I’ll make you this promise, we will do everything in our power to keep you all safe from the shadows. Speaking of being safe, judging from the path you’re all on, I’d say you all are heading to the drowned pass; And if you’re heading there, then your only destination is…(with slight entertainment) Oh!? You’re heading towards the burned forest.

[The parent lets their body fall to the ground, it and the armor making a slight thud as it hits the dirt]

|S|: Careful out there, despite its name, it’s a real piece of work. I hear it’s prowled by all kinds of nasty beasties, like: Evel Monsters…if you come across one of them you’ll want to keep a three-sixty perimeter, they tend to be pack hunters; One distracts, while the others sneak up from the unguarded sides. My recommendations? Fight them, and finish them off quickly; Oh! For some reason they really like to target elves first, so you can guess why they are also known as elven hunters. Oh, you’re also going to want to watch out for the forest whispers, that’s not a type of enemy so much as it is a funny little quirk of the forest. It tends to whisper into your ear, trying to separate you by using your greatest desires against you. They’ll keep leading you astray until you don’t know where in the forest you are. And the worst part? If you get lost, you’ll very likely die out there. (Nervous) Uh not because I don’t believe in your survival skills, but because well, it’s the burned forest, there’s nothing alive in there, no plants, no animals, even the soil has gone barren so catching bugs is out of the question.

[There’s some more movement from the bedroll]

|S|: (Pensively) Though the only question on my mind is, why are you all heading to the burned forest? It’ll be twice as dangerous now, at least according to the more spiritual and magic inclined members of my group. The burned forest seems to be deeply connected with the darkness present in the world. And uhm, in my timeline, when we went there, it seemed to be true. Though to be fair, in my timeline, the world threatening evil hadn’t advanced as far as it has here. There are still nations standing, and a good number of those have gathered into a coalition to fight them. (Tired, with a slight yawn) Man, isn’t that something? While our allies are fighting the good fight, we’re here hunting down some animals whose parts are needed in a ritual. I know that it’s for the greater good, but like I just can’t help feeling useless you know? I don’t know, maybe I should’ve stayed behind to fight alongside the coalition armies. At least then I’d feel like I’m getting something done, even if it’s a small and unimportant situation.

[The sound of armor moving about is heard]

|S|: I don’t know if you ever get like that, I mean if you do, at least now you know where you get it from. (Deep breath followed by a sigh) You know, at first I was on the fence about having a chat like this, but now? Now I’m kinda happy that we’re having a chat, even if it is a one way conversation. (Relaxed breath comes out) I definitely needed this little talk of ours, it’s doing me more good than I thought. I got to watch over the lot of you, and talk with my child from a different timeline. At the end of this, I wonder what your answer would be if I asked you to come back with me. I can’t stand the idea of leaving you all alone here without a single family member to watch over you; However, something tells me that you’ll be too busy fighting to make this timeline peaceful again. (Slight chuckle) Truly our work is never done, is it? You beat back one world threatening enemy, and suddenly another takes their place. I can’t even begin to imagine the crises you all will face after this. Hey! If we’re ever in the neighborhood again, I know everyone, myself included, would be happy to lend a hand. Gotta pick up the slack from this timeline’s version of ourselves. (Another deep breath is released) You have grown up into an amazing person and I know that if your version of me was here they’d tell you as much

[The parent stands up from their laying on the ground, the sound of their armor moving accompanies them]

|S|: So in their stead, let me, your parent from another timeline tell you. I am very proud of you, of who you’ve become, and I’m very excited to see who you will be; Because I see such amazing potential in you, and I hope you see it in yourself as well. (With a slight yawn) Anyways, looks like my shift is up, I can see another one of my friends coming to relieve me. Sleep well kiddo, and I know that you and your friends will get through this; But if you ever need some encouragement, remember that I’ll always be right behind you, making sure that even if things look hopeless, you’re never without help nearby.

[The parent walks away, with the distant murmur of conversation between their party member. The clanking of their armor follows behind them. Though the sound of someone pushing up from their bedroll is heard, along with their armor, the child was awake the whole time]