NACK... JIMI MARVELOUS? ( pistolbitten ):
How long had Nack been in the Sol Dimension, and at what point did he finally get used to the air here? In truth, he didn’t know. He couldn’t remember. As if he had always been here, his body acclimated itself to the slightly different gravity, the endless roar of the ocean’s waves, and the tropical sun that burned as bright and unparalleled as this dimension’s greatest treasure. Faintly, he knew of his purpose – he knew that he was here to make it big – and yet the dimension he hailed from seemed to be so foreign to him that he almost believed he was part of this world.
Despite this, it didn’t take a genius to realize that Shadow, with his palms glowing with energy and his eyes fierce, was NOT from here either.
“Whoa, whoa, WHOA!” Called out the jerboa-wolf, stepping back from the emerald as his outback hat almost fell from his face. “What’s WITH you, lad? Y’think yer some TOUGH guy or somethin”? Believe it or not, I was here t’check on ya! YOU’VE been out cold, mate – show some damn respect ‘fore I show ya EXACTLY what it’s like t’taste a bullet DIRECTLY int’ ya little ovaries!”
Lies, lies, and even more lies. This stranger had been so far from his mind that he’d have let the seagulls shit upon his face if they wanted to. He had figured that NO ONE could survive what seemed to be such a gnarly ship wreck, but he was wrong. Nack Jimi Marvelous, somehow, was so very, very wrong, and all he could do now was sweat, dig his heels into a new patch of sand, and defend himself with a breath so rank with mangoes and coconuts that the Ultimate Lifeform might just need a bath.
“Listen, IDIOT. Yer CLEARLY a bit lost up there inside ya head. This place yer in? This continent? Doesn’t matter! Nope, nah, NADDA! What YOU need t’do is THANK me fer comin’ down here once I saw some DRONGO sleepin’ wit’ his mouth full’a sand! YER th’ foreigner here, mate, an’ I AIN’T ‘boutta take ANY’A this damn lip outta ya!”
Ripping his hat off so that he could wring it out before slapping it back over his scalp, he grinned. “Call me FANG, love, an’ make sure ya keep it in memory! Y’see, I’m what you’d callllll an’ EXPLORER! I make my ‘rounds day by day doin’ EXACTLY what’cha think that means! Gun fights, treasure huntin’, savin’ dames an’ makin’ some sweet sea love – see? I AIN’T ya enemy! Put those palms DOWN already an’ let’s talk about th’ mystery that just SEEMS t’be right on my mind: YOU.”
Shadow was so out of place that it would’ve been affront to his years exploring this realm. The thing about the Sol Dimension was that it was practically a living organism of its own. If it wanted to, it’d grip onto your very soul and drag you into its depth, forcing you to live by its rules and tempt you to live here an entire plane away from the world you once knew and loved. Nack came here by choice – he had to, his blood compelled him – and yet he has met so many fools out of their element that some of them went mad. Such inter-dimensional travel SHOULDN’T be possible, and yet the very existence of both the Chaos and the Sol Emeralds meant the rules of reality could be turned asunder at any moment.
Did Shadow fall here like the others? Did he, too, travel across the boundaries of the sky for a greater purpose? Nack Jimi Marvelous knew damn well that he was going to figure out one way or another.
“Judgin’ by ya accent an’ how RUH-UDE ya were t’me, I know EXACTLY what happened t’ya. Ohhhh. mate, how I’ve seeeeen it all before. If anythin’, I actually feel just a teensy-weensy bit BAD for ya. Yer confused, lad, an’ yer scared. Reallllll scared. Why, I imagine yer so far away from everyone that’cha loved an’ known that what I’M about t’say is gonna RIP yer mind apart like a bunch’a hungry dingoes with a defenseless tyke who just stumbled their way down a cliff!”
“YOU are in th’ SOLLLLLLL Dimension, buckaroo, or at least that’s what I’VE dubbed it! If ya don’t even know th’ island yer on an’ ya look THIS outta wack, I can tell ya this: you AIN’T gettin’ back home ‘less ya get’cha act t’gether, STOP muckin’ about, an’ realize that you an’ I? Why, we’re practically BEST MATES now, ya walkin’-talkin’ PIN CUSHION!”
“Now, what ARE ya gonna do, eh? We gonna start actin’ like adults, orrrrr do ya WANT t’die by a stroke? Whatever works fer ya, jus’ lemme know – I’ve YET t’see someone spell their own death as easiy as YOU might right now!”
" ...mhm. adults... right. because it certainly isn't you acting like the adult. "
this one certainly did enjoy the sound of his own voice, didn't he. after all of that ruckus ( the best word he could think of to describe it, in fact ), shadow allowed himself a moment to let it ... sink in. that's right. he knew he was certainly not in the dimension he originated from - chaos control made certain of that - but now, this place had a name. and this obnoxious cowboy hat-wearing stranger had one too. the sol dimension. fang. in fact, now that shadow got a better look at him, he seemed ... vaguely familiar. no. not vaguely. that's right! there was a fang in his dimension - the troublesome sniper that ran that absurd gang of ne'er-do-wells: the hooligans. and yet, this version of fang introduced himself as an explorer. it seemed that the multiverse theory was not only true, it was full of surprises.
" i won't die by stroke, but thank you for what i imagine is truthful concern. " he retorted, though did not retract the energy back into his palms. of course he wouldn't. that said, he took a step or too back; relaxed his stance. it seemed that he was a blowhard even in this world, and would likely have to be treated the same way. regardless, shadow knelt down, snatched the emerald back towards him in the same way a cat would hog a beloved toy. without taking his eyes off fang once, he scratched the air, opening it to reveal a black void beyond. a pocket dimension, but he was certainly not about to explain that to him.
" best mates, hm. " he contemplated, zipping the pocket dimension shut with a snap of his fingers - as if there were nothing there at all just moments before. " an interesting way to use that. we've barely known each other all of two seconds, and here you are claiming that we are the bestest of friends. very cute, and equally as naive. " in fact, he sounded eerily like a certain blue hedgehog shadow was not very fond of ( or so he claimed ), but the sentiment was simply not there. not even close. his tongue was dripping with lies, that much shadow could be certain of. it was the boisterous nature of the way he spoke that gave that away. but then again, even an infant could likely come to the same conclusion without much effort.
" well then. " time to transition. best not to linger on one subject for too long. at least he was providing... information, shadow supposed. better than nothing... he may know about the voices. but perhaps calling them voices would be a bad way to approach this. yes it is. why am i questioning that? shadow shook his head, perishing the thought. perhaps that fall really did mess with his mind - there was a bit of a fog 'round his head, he had to admit. " ...good to know that my trajectory shot me in the correct place. the sol dimension, was it?interesting... " that's right. he knew someone who was from this place, didn't he? the purple monarch, the cat with the power to control flames. blaze. she was from here... but it looked as if she were nowhere to be found. " a place of never-ending heat, so i've been told... looks like they were right. "
he folded his arms, looked across the sea. tranquil, like elysium, palm trees and coconuts abounds ( just like fang's breath, awful ), though shadow could certainly do without the sun beating down on him so relentlessly. horrible. perhaps there was some purpose to fang's cowboy hat after all ... though that accent was unfamiliar, to say the least. the fang he knew in his dimension had a southern one; rougher, tougher, hardened by years of experience despite the acts he liked to put on. there was indeed a history there, a difficult one. but this? this was ... unreadable at the moment. the only sol dimension native he knew did not speak like this, but she was a princess - of course she would speak differently from the rabble. that was how social hierarchies worked - that was how it always had been. that was not enough to prove whether or not fang was from here or anywhere. for now, shadow only had to assume that there was truth hiding in his words.
" alright, fang, " he started. how horrible that name sounded! he'd never have given his dimension's fang the dignity of using that absurd name. sure, that gigantic fang portruding from his mouth like a canker sore was likely the reason why he called himself that, but still. how subtle. " let's get something straight. no bullets will be shot anywhere, because pure chaos energy overpowers any sort of weaponry. this is non-negotiable. attempt to prove otherwise, and i promise you - you will be the one with a bullet through your sternum; the kind that eats at your insides like a fine wine. understand? "
shadow's glare intensified. of course it did. he did abhor wasting time, when a hunt was on. and speaking of the hunt... he didn't need the emerald to hear the voice again. louder, this time, though not by much. he froze in place, blinking once or twice as its scraping words scratched relentlessly against his mind. come ... closer ...
a weightlessness overcame him as shadow gripped his head, whipping around to hear the source of the voice over the massive forest beyond, pinching the fur and skin between his fingers. a bead of sweat fell from his forehead to his jaw, clinging there, until it fell to the sand. from there. it's coming from there. maybe... maybe he knows...
yes. he was weaker than he anticipated. finding that place on his own was going to be a chore to say the least. and here was an arrogant loudmouth who likely knew a thing or two about the place. as loathe as he was to admit... occasionally, choosing a bitter poison was far preferable to the inevitable, because fang had a point. should shadow choose to proceed as is, it was likely he would succumb to some sort of heat stroke, which would inevitably slow him down. the more disoriented he became, the less of a chance he had to find out the source of that voice. he had come unprepared, after all; rare for him, truth be told. this was a golden, strategic opportunity, and he would be remiss to let it slide.
sometimes, others could be useful for something. only sometimes.
" there. " he gestured, regaining his composure. " lead me beyond the trees. there must be a place there. a temple, perhaps. its energy is... calling me. "
shadow began taking steps towards the brush and trees; not enough to skate, that would come later. he gave fang one final look - stern, serious. if you take this seriously, so will i, it said, in no uncertain terms.
" whatever treasures lie there, you can have... as long as you don't get in my way. "
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