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Prologue: Unknown Purpose
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Hello. My name is Inigo, son of the dancer Olivia. To be honest, I'm surprised that I was able to record my tale, and I doubt that anyone who sees this will believe me.
If there's anyone still living here, that is.
...Maybe I should explain what I mean by that. I can say for certain that this place isn't Ylisse, but beyond that, I don't know where I am. I haven't met a living soul since I came here, so...
Oh, I almost forgot. Ylisse is my homeland... or, at least, it was. In my time, there are no such things as nations. The fell dragon, Grima, has returned, and he has set the entire world to ruin. Recently, my companions and I devised a plan to borrow the power of the Divine Dragon, Naga, to return to the past and avert Grima's return... but, well, that plan was never really set into motion.
And now, here I am, alone in a dead land that's even more bleak than my time.
Still, I have the feeling that if I give up now, I won't get anywhere. I've decided that I'll try to stay alive for the time being. Who knows? Maybe the others are here as well...
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The first thing the outlanders saw when they opened their eyes to their new home was the utter emptiness of it all.
A vast wasteland stretched out in all directions, illuminated by the light of a dying sun. There were scattered remnants of forests and civilization, but most of the ruins were uninhabitable; even the sturdiest of structures looked as if they would collapse at any moment.
And yet, despite everything, the sounds of living creatures could still be heard. Some of them friends, perhaps, but most of them fiends...
The newcomers, though confused and disoriented, made their own survival a first priority. Finding out what had happened could wait until later - so long as the solitude did not drive them mad first.
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Chapter 1: First Contact
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It was a few hours before dawn when a sound alerted Inigo; despite his exhaustion, he could not sleep, and considering the situation did not ease his conscience either.
Though he had heard many wild beasts traveling in the night, something told him that this was different. As he rose from a makeshift bed in the empty shell of a house, Inigo picked up the sword that he kept with him at all times; the wilderness demanded caution, and regardless of his intuition, he didn't want to take any chances.
"...Hello?" Inigo called, as he stepped outside. "Is someone there?"
What he saw was not what he had expected. Some distance away, a gray-skinned girl stood, her eyes obscured by red sunglasses; she perked up at the sound of Inigo's voice, and approached him with a shark-toothed grin plastered across her face.
"Good evening!" the girl greeted. "I suppose that you're one of those humans I've heard of? You smell... different."
Inigo raised an eyebrow, then took a step back. "...Smell? If you don't mind me asking, who and what are you?"
"Well, aren't you the impolite one?" The girl cackled, then stepped closer in open defiance. "Still, considering our circumstances, I guess it's only appropriate for introductions to be made. My name is Terezi Pyrope, and I'm a troll."
"A... troll?" Inigo repeated, surprised, as he made another effort to put some distance between himself and the newcomer. "Are you from another world? I don't think I've ever heard of..."
He noted the small, conical horns atop the girl's head, and took a sharp breath. The fact that she could speak was a huge step forward, but her visage intimidated him more than any of the creatures he had encountered.
"Why yes, I am from another world." Terezi continued advancing toward Inigo, her grin broadening as she sniffed him. "My world is called Alternia, and it isn't that much different from this place. Well, there are more living creatures, but that is not the point!"
"...Are you going to eat me?" Inigo blurted out, attempting to take another step back; his back met cold stone, and he realized that she had him cornered. "I-I'm not tasty, I'm really not! Augh, now I know how Yarne feels..."
Terezi shook her head and made a face. "No, I am not going to eat you. You are the first person I have encountered since I came here, and I think it would be terribly rude to eat you before I even got to know you. Now, what is your homeworld called?"
"I'm... from Ylisse." Inigo allowed himself to relax a bit, knowing that this newcomer was not an active threat. "And, well, conditions here aren't much better than they were back there. There weren't many people there, but... still more than there are here. Unless you count the Risen, of course... Ah, by the way, my name is Inigo."
"Then I propose a temporary alliance," Terezi suggested. "Back on Alternia, making alliances with random people was one of many ways to get a knife in the back, but you are not a troll, and considering your behavior, I doubt that you would be willing to betray anyone who offers assistance!" She paused and took a breath, tilting her head. "But you should not let your guard down just because I am blind. If you do intend to backstab me, I will call off our alliance, and perhaps even eat you."
Inigo blinked twice, then rubbed the back of his head. "You're... blind? Ah, sorry. I didn't notice..."
"There you go, being impolite again!" Terezi pouted. "Now, if you don't mind, I would like to conduct a thorough investigation of your makeshift shelter. Of course, under our current circumstances, I can expect no less from a human without the assistance of construction drones, but your hive looks as though it could collapse at any moment!"
With a heavy sigh, Inigo turned back to the ruined house; even if his new company was exasperating, confusing and potentially problematic, he was glad to have discovered someone else. It meant that, however small, there was a chance the others were here as well.
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