Abscondi Grove [Inactive]

"Doorway? What are you all talking about? My own computer....."


Richard found it hard to find words to say about how he got here. There wasn't really a word for it except for the fact that his computer literally "ate" him. People were getting up and from their reactions and words they were all in the same predicament. However, Vex's question grabbed his attention. How did he get here?


"My own computer ate me and then here I am. Uhh my name is Richard by the way. Just uhh call me Ric."
 
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Vex groaned. It was bad enough that he was stuck in this confined space with all of these other people, but every single one of them that was awake, besides him, was female. The one that had most recently awoken seemed to be particularly smartass-ish, and Vex determined that there was a very slim chance of them every getting along.


"Well, like I said, whatever we are inside of right now is moving. The question is, where is it taking us? And why?"
 
She got the feeling Vex didn't like her, which was fine by her. She touched her head and found that there was a bruise. "Oww" She muttered.


What are we doing here? How'd we all meet each other? She paused looking up at the group. "So my name is Alice but you can call me Ace if you please." she had a tone of sourness in voice. she looked at the girl called Rachel "Hello Rachel" She held out her hand so she could shake.
 
Richard took the hand that was extended to him by the one who was called Alice. She was a girl around his age, with a petite body and white hair. She looked small compared to him. Her hand surprisingly soft as he gripped it in his and shook it. Of course it would have been better had she not sounded so sour.


"Hello to you too, Alice. So, uhhh, any of you guys have an idea on what we're supposed to do here? Or are we just playing the waiting game?"


Ric addressed the group that was gathered. Almost everyone was awake so at least one of them might have a clue on what's going on. He instinctively grabbed the pen in his pocket and began playing twirling it in his fingers as he thought of what exactly was happening right now. It felt a little too surreal that him and Vex were the only two guys in the room and the rest were girls. What would he have in common with the girls and that guy named Vex. He quickly ran through a list of ideas and crossed them all out one by one. Ric couldn't find any common ground between him and them, at least not yet.
 
"Sure seems like we're along for the ride to me. I don't think there's any way we can know where we're going, or when we're going to get there..."


Shaking his head, Vex walked over to one of the azure luminescent walls and placed a palm on it. The size and shape of the room, the way it happened to be moving, almost reminded him of some sort of elevator. An elevator to carry them out of the basement of their old lives and up to a new story.


As he thought these thoughts, the wall beneath his hand began to shift and mildly change shape. When Vex removed his hand, there was a complete panel of shiny blue elevator buttons set into the wall. The middle of the wall in front of him was now occupied by a large set of glowing blue elevator doors, and above the doors there was a small screen display, like the kind on elevators that told you what floor you were currently on. At the moment, the only thing the display said was "NULL".


"What...the...hell...?" Vex breathed, stepping back from the wall, looking around at the other teens, then stepping back close to the wall so that he could get a better look at the button panel. There were several buttons, but most of them weren't labeled. The ones that were labeled were "NULL", "AG", "Open Doors", "Close Doors", and a large red button with a keyhole next to it. The red button was labeled "FOR EMERGENCIES ONLY".


Another difference that Vex noticed, as he observed the newly created buttons, was that the chamber that they were in was no longer traveling "forwards", like a vehicle, but it was now traveling upwards, like an elevator. 
((UP TO A NEW STORY. YEAH, I JUST DID THAT. The Grand Punmaster Extraordinaire reigns supreme!!))
 
'I am dead. I didn't think I would die by a bloody car but I guess its better than doing so near that freak of a father...'





Those are what Samantha believed were to be her final thoughts. So, the girl did not think of anything positive or negative for what she would say within her final moments. No, she simply believed that she was escaping hell to a place which could never be compared to her previous experience. Never. After all, her reality was a nightmare that had already dragged her down a path one would normally regret. Oh, she did not. She was quite content with her life, ignoring the fact people were out to kill her and all that.


However, having already gone through her believed 'final thoughts' she was shocked when her eyes snapped open to...a room? The Azure walls reminded her faintly of the of her 'final moments'. She saw the light before her death. To her that was ironic because she had long since been discarded by that place. For a few moments she was staring, eyes wide at the shade of blue as she slowly ran her sight over the area. Till she had traced each corner she was ignorant to the presence of the others.


Finally, Samantha turned her gaze to the others in this box with a raised brow. First of all, she was confused to why she was in a BOX. Since when was hell a box? Then, she realised something. 'If this is hell...and there are others here...then-' Suddenly, she was laughing, sat back on her knees as she held her stomach. "Oh this is rich!" She cooed, sitting back so she could rest her head upon the wall. "You are all in hell as well!" She laughed, reaching up to wipe her tears with the leather surface of her glove.


She paused.


She began to look around again before she stared at them all, lips parted to form a 'o' before a groan passed her lips. "Are you kidding me!" She hissed, staring at the top of the current surroundings she threw her arms up dramatically, a scowl upon her lips as she shifted back further into the wall, her fear wishing she could be consumed by the azure colour. "Hell couldn't look like this." She murmured, sighing as she slumped slightly, almost limply. 'These people probably work with them as well...trapping me in a cell with enemies and I dont even have a weapon...'. The girl pouted, curling up further in the corner to sulk about her self predicted fate.
 
Vex raised an eyebrow at the most recently awoken box-mate.


"Hell? What are you talking about? I mean, sure, being stuck in a small space with lots of other people is pretty crappy, but I wouldn't call it hell. As for us, we have no idea who the hell you are, pun intended, and we haven't ever met each other before. We all found ourselves in this...surreal elevator, and we have no idea where it is going.


"And yes, it is an elevator, or it became one just recently. I think my thoughts might have triggered the chamber to change in order to form into something that is familiar to me...look, it even has floor buttons and everything. Right now, we are apparently on the "NULL" floor, but I think soon we'll get to 'AG', whatever that stands for. Maybe it's just 'Ag'. Hell if I know."


He looked back over at Sam after inspecting the elevator buttons for an umpteenth time.


"Are you sure you're all right? You know, in the head? You seem a bit...on the edge."
 
Biting her lip the girl seemed to take careful note to every word that passed his lips, her eyes shifting to turn upon him with curiousity. 'Ag? Null?' For a brief moment she was quiet as she leaned back against the wall, her thoughts racing as she reached up to ruffle the raven black hair, green eyes still upon Vex. "I see..." She replied, dragging the syllable on needlessly before she looked around once more.


'Okay...lets think rationally now. I'm stuck in a place with other people...' She couldn't stand the feeling of fear that began to shift through her thoughts, overcoming them. Samantha by now had definitely noted that she hated interactions because they required a facade to keep her calm. Or...at least to make her think so. Her logic was that if they didn't know she knew about their plans then she was safe.


A smile came onto her lips as she reached up to scratch her cheek. "I am fine!~" She replied, shrugging her shoulders slightly as she looked around. Fear had her in its cold grips. "In the head? Edgy?" She smirked, eyes glimmering with a dangerous light as she cocked her head to the side, a hum passing her lips. "I'm perfectly fine in the head ya'know." Pausing she raised a brow. "Although people have said that to me." Including a few doctors who she ceased to see after wards.


"So, who are you?"
 
"I'm Vex, and I don't really care what your name is, so don't bother telling me."


Just then, the "elevator" shifted a bit, and Vex had to change his footing to keep his balance. The whole chamber lurched and finally stopped moving, and the display above the elevator doors changed from "NULL" to "AG". The blue glow from the walls changed to a refreshing shade of green, and a small tone sounded, the kind of tone a real elevator would make to signal an arrival on a certain floor.


"Wow, this place is making its best efforts to really be an elevator. Well, it looks like we're here, wherever 'here' is..." Vex muttered cautiously, walking over to the elevator doors and pressing the "OPEN DOORS" button. The chamber remained dark, at first, but as the doors opened wider, a bit of light began to shine into the elevator from outside.
 
“No,” The moment Vex had pushed the button Corey wished he hadn’t. She did have the feeling the box was safety, meaning that whatever would be behind the doors was only going to put them in danger.


Her mind however changed when a bright light came from the door opening. Her attention now sparked she walked closer to where Vex was standing.
 
A grave yard.


A grave yard at night.


A grave yard at night while being nearly completely defenseless and with the stars as your only source of light.


Among all places that she could have wandered to, Nadia found herself in a place she had promised to not return to. A place that reminded her of bad things and made the idea of ending this pitiful life more and more appealing as she avoided another person's resting place. The night cold bit into her as she neared her destination, step by step. Her heart beat grew quicker and quicker the close she got, making her body squirm in anticipation as she rounded another grave stone.


The sight of the willow tree made her chuckle to herself as she felt the tears running down her cheeks already. Thousand memories passed by in her mind as she sat down below the tree, glancing once and then twice times at the grave beside her. Her voice was husky from her constant sobbing and she swiftly put down the lilies she had gotten from the store. "Hey Grandma... I... Are you mad? I mean, I didn't even come to your funeral... But, if I know you well; you probably ain't that mad. Heck, you'd force me to eat a cookie and some of that delicious lasagna just to get back at me!"


She remembered that night, it was Christmas and her parents had not come to the mansion. So, instead, she had taken her coat and walked all the way to the small, comfy house she preferred to call her home. Grandma had given her an earful about walking seven miles in the cold but then again, the lady had covered her in more than a few blankets and given the girl, forcefully, a cup of hot chocolate. They had spent the night watching movies ranging from action to classics and then they would talk... For hours and hours on end. Back then, Nadia wasn't like this...


She wasn't... Ugly or disgusting, she was Nadia. Nadia wished she could go back, as she continued her speech. Her goodbye. "I got your next favorite flower! They didn't have orchids... Father's new book has sold more than a few million copies and mother? Oh dear, she is participating in Fashion Week... Again! It's crazy for them... I on the other hand, during this month that you left me... Well, W Magazine offered me to be their cover for this month yet their photographer didn't exactly share the same opinion." She rolled her eyes, imagining her Grandma telling her of for letting it get to her, a small smile gracing her lips. She muttered out mockingly as she let her lips open once again. "He thought I was 171 cm tall! I'm 179 cm, just like he requested! The nerve, Grandma! The nerve! I know I shouldn't let it get to me but everyone believes my achievements aren't mine but my oh-so-amazing parents work..."


She would have continued with her rant but she found her body shaking with the sobs she let out, curling herself into a ball next to the grave; like a child laying next to her mother. She felt it. Her very soul being drained away as the days passed by, her emotions becoming less and less human. She felt how she became a doll, used by others, loved by none. And the one person she could depend on was laying in a coffin, dead.


For a whole hour she lay there, pondering on the thought of leaving... Ending the pain she was in and once she found the courage, she sat up. Her heart was terrifyingly calm and her mind seemed numb as she reached for her bag. Her fingers shook and her eyes were dry from tears. No frown, no smile as she found the pocket knife.


The blade seemed to shine in the moon light and when it found her wrist, a sudden howl was heard. Surprised, she dropped the knife in the rather uncut grass. A groan of dissatisfaction escaped her mouth as she crawled around, searching for her way out of this hell hole called earth. And then... Then she heard a whisper so familiar... So breathtakingly warm.


"Ending it here won't help, dear. It will only make it worse..." It muttered out with a wise tone. Quickly she turned around, to find nothing but the tree staring back at her. Her eyes brimmed again with tears as she fought back a dreadful sob. The tree seemed to invite her, soothing her feelings as the roots came out of their place. They started to move in between each other, creating an arch and in the middle of the arch was a light so bright - it made her eyes wince.


"Gran?" She muttered before being consumed by the darkness.


-------------------------------------------------


It was so dark. So lifeless in the place she dwelled in, wandering around until she heard voices. They were so loud, as if they were next to her and the darkness faded into a deep, dark red color. Some sort of light seemed to hit her eyes as she confused, grabbed her head as she felt nauseous; moving her body upwards. A small sigh escaped her lips as she felt herself moving, which could mean only two things. Someone she knew found her and was taking her to the mansion or she was being kidnapped. Again.


It was pitiful, really, as the kidnappers rarely got any money out of it and usually they had prison duty to attend to at the end of the week. Last time she was kidnapped, she was thirteen and at that time she had her mom's purse, stuffed with different credit cards, saving herself from the annoying group of older men. By the sound of the voices, this time she had some mixed genders making the whole thing a lot more complicated. Putting on her best smile, she opened her eyes; being shocked to see teenagers.


Teenagers... As in someone her age... Her thoughts of being kidnapped flew out of the window so fast that she couldn't help the light chuckle, unheard in the room as the people were distracted talking to each other, found their way out of her lips. Slowly, she thought over her situation as she stood up silently, being taller than the ladies in the room making her noticeable. "Um... You may know me... or not... The name is Nadia Haynn..."


They probably knew her, she assumed, as she was in a few shows due to her various covers in different magazines. Other times, she would follow her parents to events like Fashion Week, where she would walk the runway. Nadia smiled politely, wondering how they made the tree roots arch before she was knocked out. She wasn't to afraid, technology these days were scary enough for her to not wonder if it was magic.
 
She walked up right beside Vex, She didn't like to make others mad and if she did she liked to make amends quickly. "Sorry for being rude Vex."


She paused hoping he'd accept her apology. She hated everything about herself, her bruises and such, even if they weren't her fault. She tried to smile despite how much she was taking in at once.
 
Vex was about to exit the elevator, but the voice of the last person waking up made him pause. It was another female (ugh), but Vex just so happened to recognize her name. His mother was an avid reader of many of the fashion magazines that Nadia had appeared on.


"Well, Miss Celebrity, welcome to God Knows Where. Long story short, all of us found a doorway of some kind, then we all woke up inside of this chamber-whatever this thing is. Well, at least, it WAS a chamber, until it adapted to our culture somehow and changed into an elevator. Yeah, that last part sounds kinda weird, huh...so, anyways, this elevator was in the "NULL" place when we all woke up, but now we seem to have arrived at some sort of "AG" destination. I had just opened the elevator doors, and then you just so happened to wake up. Good thing you did too, because we were all about to leave you behind."


Vex ended his speech with a chuckle and then turned towards the light beyond the glowing blue doors of the elevator.


"You guys coming, or what?" he said, smirking as he stepped out of the elevator and towards the light. The ground and walls were made of stone, so Vex assumed that the doorway was at the end of some sort of cave. He knocked on the rocky walls with his knuckled and kept walking forwards, shielding his eyes from the light with one arm as he beckoned for them to follow with the other arm.


"C'mon, something tells me that elevator ain't gonna wait forever."
 
She walked out after Vex, Wow! This light is bright! She was nervous, she had no idea where she was headed and who with.
 
Vex looked around at the walls of the cave that they apparently found themselves in. The walls of the tunnel were made of some generic Earth stone, but mixed in with the rest of the rock was little sparkly bits and minerals of brilliant colors that weren't familiar. All of their surroundings sparkled and glittered in the light that was just up ahead.


As he stepped out from the mouth of the cave into the light, Vex gasped. What he saw made him breathless.


The group found themselves in the middle of paradise. The sky was blue, with the sun shining warmly down upon them. There were trees and plants and wildlife everywhere, but not all of it was familiar to them. Nearby, in what looked like a maple tree with orange bark, a beautiful four-winged bird warbled out a melodic call and glided over to the next-closest tree. Off in the distance, if you looked hard enough, you could see a mighty mountain range several miles off on the horizon. To the left, Vex could hear the sounds of running water, most likely a river. Just then, a warm breeze rushed by and tossed his unruly black hair about his head and ruffled his hoodie.


"Oh...my...lord..."
 
"This is amazing!" She smiled, "This is better than home" She looked all over the place. "Wait, is this an illusion?" She was very VERY, skeptical about things like this, good things never happened to her. That was a fact.
 
"An illusion?" Vex inquired. He hadn't thought about that before...but he knew how he would be able to test it out.


Walking over to one of the trees, he looked up into its branches until he found what he was looking for. He climbed up a bit until he found some sort of nut, about the size of a grape, and threw it down at the girl who had asked the question, aiming for the top of her head.


"Did that feel real to you? Hahahah..."


Vex chuckled to himself as he climbed down the tree. The bark was rough and felt like...well, bark. It sure as hell felt real to him.
 
She caught the nut with amazing speed.


"I've already been abused enough," she sighed crushing it in her hand "That's why I ran away." she paused letting it sink in, she had a feeling Vex was nice but she had ticked him off.
 
There was another person who woke up. She looked a little dazed and confused then started saying they were all in hell. Truthfully it was prospect that Ric might have considered had he gone insane. He was about to say otherwise to the girl but Vex had done so instead. Vex was explaining to the girl that they were not in hell but rather in some elevator bring all of them to some unknown direction and about the buttons. Ric just kept quiet and watched things unfold, it was clear that Vex would be the guy leading them.


The whole room finally stopped moving. It felt like an old elevator heaving its last breath before stopping at a floor and waiting for more or less passengers. It lurched a little and Ric lost his footing for a moment. He regained it in time to see one of the girls look a little too panicked while Vex pressed a button which then opened the door for them. Then another one of the girls woke up and introduced herself as well, Vex was quick on clarifying the situation to one miss Haynn. The name rang a bell but Ric couldn't exactly tell where he heard it, Vex said something about a celebrity but Ric still couldn't figure out why the name sounded familiar.


The door opened and a bright light dazed Ric for a bit before hopping out of the elevator like the rest of them. He had been used to the glowing blue lights of the elevator that it was a while before his eyes adjusted to the new light.


The new light was really a new light for him. It was a whole new world that looked untamed and almost beckoned Ric to explore its nooks and crannies. Blue skies, green as far as the eye can see, a mountain range off in the distance, the locale literally screamed 'Nature.' Ric let out a little whistle instead.


"Well, this is......new. Should we go out and explore this place, everyone? Or do we make some sort of camp like this cave for instance, it looks like we could use this as a place to stay. No?"


'New' didn't even begin to scratch what he felt. It was an amazing location with a breathtaking view that sparked a thirst for adventure from the neglected scion. Even the wildlife was of a variety he had never seen before, even with some knowledge on fossils. It was a new change of pace from his old and restless life back home. This place would make a great vacation spot and Ric felt he needed the vacation.
 
Vex sighed. This guy wasn't as perceptive as his intellectual appearance seemed to portray.


"No need to hole up in a cave, look. There's a village just up ahead."


Sure enough, if one looked past the trees on the dirt path up ahead, one would see small plumes of smoke rising from cooking fires and if one were tall enough, they might actually see rooftops as well. And if one listened hard enough, past the noise of the river and past the birds' songs, they might hear the sound of friendly daytime chatting or the rhythm of a blacksmith's hammer striking steel.


"In a place like this, I'm sure they'll be friendly enough to take us in. Besides, if not, we always can go back to the cave," Vex said, starting to walk down the dirt path towards the village.


~


With the number of dangerous beasts they encountered every day, it was a miracle that Croel wasn't up for 24 hours a day fixing weapons, but he certainly had his work cut out for him. Only three guards had been seriously injured today, but nearly half of their weapons required maintenance after fending off the routine livestock predators.


"What in the world are they fighting out there, baku-eating boulders?" he grunted to himself, bringing his hammer thundering down onto a white-hot steel blade that was definitely a bit worse for the wear. "Darned guards gotta start taking better care of their equipment..."


Croel wiped the sweat off his furry brow and was about to bring the hammer down again, but his apprentice Maris flung open the workshop door.


"Mister Croel! Mister Croel!" cried the child excitedly, her pointed ears perking up and her large eyes shimmering with joy.


"What, what is it, kid? I gotta lot of work to do, make it fast."


"There's some new visitors! From the cave!"


Croel was silent for a second. It wasn't every day they got new visitors in town.


"New visitors, eh? All right, I'll be out in a bit."
 
Damien looked around, remaining silent, just taking the place in. Because of this, he was probably the only one who noticed that there were two suns. Damien almost broke down and cried in happiness at that point. He was either dead, hallucinating, or on some crazy other planet. Either way, he was finally away from his personal hell.


Instead of crying, he dropped to his knees and began laughing, and was surprised the others didn't look at him like a psychopath.


Now, as they walked into town, he had calmed down and was continuing to silently take in his surroundings, and all of the new places and people. There was a blacksmith, a silver smith, a carpenter, a jewler, they had everything a medieval town probably would. He was tempted to go straight to the blacksmith, but he didn't want to get separated from everyone else.
 
She was walking by the river still exploring but stay still staying with the group, she had herd Vex say that the villagers might take them in. But due to her past she didn't think so..... Still walking with the group but a little was away. Maybe this will be better than your home, give it a try ok, maybe you'll be happy? She doubted it but followed the group anyway.
 
Chapter 2


As they walked into the town's central square, they realized just how beautiful of a place it really was. The buildings and houses looked warm and inviting in the morning sun(s), and there was a fountain in the middle of the square that has inlaid with gorgeous carvings and inscribed words, some of which were carved in symbols and languages that no one in the group could understand. The water it spouted was clean and fresh, and a couple of the four-winged birds were currently bathing in it.


Villagers began to empty from out of the buildings and approach them. A select few of them were human, but mixed in were some other interesting races of creatures. There were people that looked like anthropomorphic foxes, except they stood on their hind two legs and they were more stout and short, and not as agile and thin as a regular fox might be. There were people that were about the same height as the humans, but their skin was multi-colored and spotted, and was smooth and shiny, like salamander skin. They lacked any hair to speak of, but the males were much more muscular, and the females were curvier and more lithe. There was also a third race apparent in the group, but it was difficult to tell if they had any gender at all. They were very tall, tall enough to tower above the rest of the villagers. Their clothes were basically the same as everyone else's, but the skin that showed was as black as midnight. They wore hoods that obscured their faces, but their glowing orange eyes were still visible through the gloom. They were very morose in appearance, and loomed over the group ominously, studying them with their fiery eyes.


One of the humans, elderly in appearance, walked out towards Vex and the group. He was aged, certainly, but his face and the way he carried himself reflected a youthful pride. The cane he walked with was very intricate, made of some variant of ivory and carved so the crook looked like some beast's head.


"Hello visitors. It is rather nice to be seeing some new faces around here; we haven't gotten any new residents for quite some time. There is plenty of room for you here, and I believe our food storages will be able to accommodate a new influx of people to feed. However, it is only fair that you will each need to pull your own weight in our community. You will be assigned a job based on what skills you have, and you will be taught the ropes by one of your superiors."


"Sounds fair to me, Chief," said Vex, stepped forth and shaking the old man's hand. "I'm Vex. These are my... companions, Richard, Nadia, Samantha, Damien, Corey, Dahlia, and Alice. It's very nice of you to take us in so willingly. From what I understand, none of us have had much happiness where we used to live."


The old man smiled and shook his hand back. "You can call me Mayor. Everyone here came seeking refuge from their old, troublesome lives, and we accept them in and give them food and shelter and a part in our community. So, let's get you youngsters settled in. There's a building over near the east edge of town that should be able to house all of you. In the morning, you can get assigned your jobs, and then you'll get straight to work. Yoona here will show you to your new home. Oh, and before I forget, welcome to Abscondi Grove," said the Mayor, chuckling and walking away towards what was probably the Town Hall.


Yoona turned out to be one of the salamander-people, a race which Vex and the others learned was called the Kentakin. She was tall and quiet, and did not speak much as she led them towards a medium-sized cabin on the east end of town.
 
"Wow it's beautiful here!" Alice smiled. She hung behind the rest of the group. Just talking to herself, she knew the group probally wouldnt like her much but, she was detirmined to be happy.
 
That last statement silenced him for a bit. Vex had pointed out signs of life further in the jungle and led the group there. Vex was awfully calm as he led them all through the foliage. Maybe the locals would be friendly, maybe they wouldn't. Ric tried his best to emulate their leader, just keep calm and snarky regardless of the situation.


Vex led them into the village. It was any other typical village except one needed to rewind time back a few centuries or so. Ric watched in awe as the villagers filed out of their homes to gawk at the new comers. There were a lot races that didn't even exist outside the realm of fantasy, he felt like he was simply in a fantasy novel. Thinking of novels made him think of home and how the computer program made good on its promise to a certain degree. It didn't erase the accomplishments of his siblings but rather transported him to a new world where he was free to carve his own name and gain his own recognition.


He saw Vex speak to an elderly man. Vex was introducing the group and explaining the situation to old man. The old man, Mayor as he was called, simply shook his head and smiled, he had an understanding look to his face. Ric's new home was now this place, this Abscondi grove. He followed the group who followed Yoona to a cabin on the east end of town.


"So what's on our agenda for the rest of the day?"
 
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