GreyStormers: Psycho Jay Story 1

Ch 1

Author's notes at the end

* *  = Thoughts

==== Is a perspective change

***** Is a scene change

            I remember that day clearly, hell it's just about the only thing of my original life that I can remember without help. But that's beside the point, it all started on that day, it was just like every other day, but that's how it always is….

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The dull grey light of early morning streamed through the blinds onto the mess, for that was what it was. It took up almost half the room, a pile of cloths, paper, magazines, and other bric-a-brac piled haphazardly upon old furniture. The only clean spot was a path between the mess and the bed, where lay the room's owner, to the door.

            After a time the form on the bed finally stirred. Reached up carefully to the table at the head of the bed, as to avoid disturbing the pile of comics, and turned off the radio static that lightly hissed since the alarm had gone off several hours before.  It was another fifteen minutes before the bed's occupant threw off the covers and rose to a sitting position.

            He was a bear of a man. Short at 5'7" with long somewhat wavy hair coming to his shoulder blades, and a curly beard badly in need of a trim. He was overweight but years of bad posture made him look bigger than he actually was. He got up and slowly lumbered his way out the door and into the noontime sun.

* Dam I really need to clean those blinds. *  Thought Jason as he shielded his eyes from the light.

            He went about his normal routine of bathroom, food, and shower before heading back to his room. He had several hours to kill before going to work and he wanted to listen to the new CDs he had gotten the previous night.

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            I saw it out of the corner of my eye at first. A slight rippling on the floor that spread out from the center of the room like it was water and not linoleum. I knew what it was of course, how could I not, I had been trying to write up the stats for it for the D&D campaign my friend ran.

The Pool of Chaos. (1)

I never thought I'd see it. I don't think I ever really thought it existed. Which is why roughly three seconds after it started and I realized what it was, I ran like all the demons of hell were on my heels. Shame it was three seconds too late.

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            He was two steps from the door when the room was "washed" into a darkened forest clearing with a lake that seemed to swallow all light in the center. Jason hung in the air a foot above the water for the second it took the room to transform, before his momentum threw him right into the center of the lake.

            "Oh SHIIIIIIIIIII." was all he could get out before the pool claimed him.

On that note, it was an interesting point of fact that in future moments of great danger those around Jason would hear him denounce and curse, "The day he fell into that Dam Lake".

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What was I thinking? As I started shouting the thought crossed my mind that I should have taken a deep breath instead of cussing like an idiot. So after my head hit the water I clamped my trap and tried to hold what little air I had left. To my great relief I was only about a foot below the surface and right side up, so I curled up in a ball to let buoyancy carry me up. That was when I noticed that I was in fact sinking.

* Crap, time to start swimming! *, Was what I thought, and proceeded to do.

            As I started to paddle as if my life depended on it, which incidentally it was for my lungs started telling me my air was just this side of zilch, I became aware of a faint tugging sensation around my waist. So I looked down.  The good news was that I didn't SEE anything around me, the bad news was that I didn't see a bottom either.

Now it's a little know fact that I am deathly afraid of deep water. I'm not talkin' 'deep end of the pool' deep, I'm talkin' 'Middle of the Fuckin' Ocean' deep. Ya see I've always had this fear that some giant squid or some other Huge-ass Thing was going to come up and eat me. Unfortunately being pulled into a bottomless lake by an invisible force was pretty dam close. So I did what anyone in my position would do. I panicked, at least until I blacked out.

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            I came to, at least I think I came to, in what I thought was open space. But I couldn't focus on anything and the area appeared to shift through different locals. The whole thing started giving me a headache. I tried moving but with all the sifting of perspective going on it was impossible to tell if I had accomplished anything. After what seemed like several minutes passing without any luck in trying to orientate myself, and my headache getting steadily worse, I decided to "sit down" and wait to see what would happen.

I had figured by this time that I was either dead and had been sent to, well the place could pass for oblivion. All this shifting could make anyone go insane. Or I had been in the wrong place at the wrong time and that my being here was some sort of cosmic fuck-up. On the other hand it could be that I was meant to be here, but that was one hell of a long shot and although my luck is unusually good, it ain't that good.  

            "So is that the form you chose?" Was suddenly blasted form behind me.

            "Sweet Jesus on a stick!" Was my rather undignified response.

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            Before the words had even left his mouth, Jason was on his feet and facing the direction of the voice. It was a woman, and a pretty one too. At least that's what he thought until he got a better look at "her". She appeared to be in her mid to late teens, in a simple white dress that gave her a look of innocence. Her face while possessed of average features was fair of complexion. In fact the only things that made her appearance unusual were her waist-length hair, which appeared to have trouble deciding if it were green or blue, and her eyes or lack there of. In their place where two pools of black filled with stars that seemed to stretch into infinity. However what made Jason question her form was that she had an after image. This other image, much like the area was shifting form.

            "Um… hello?" She didn't appear hostile so Jason tried to a greeting.

            Silence was here reply. She simply stared at him.

            "Ah… did you say something about my form?" He asked warily.

            After a long moment of more silence, he decided he'd better check a few things. Upon turning around to block the girl's gaze, Jason put his hands on his face and felt around.

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            * Hmm… Feels like everything's in place. Beards gone though, face feels thinner too, and my dry skin is gone. Wish I had a mirror. *, I thought as I ran my fingers over my face.

After my impromptu face exam I proceeded to pull the top of my shirt forward to confirm that I hadn't grown a few extra somethings in the past few moments.

* Ah good no…. wait when did I find time to go to the gym when I was unconscious? *, At least I'm in better shape than when this started.

Letting my shirt fall back into place I moved on to my last, and possibly most important part of my examination.

* Hmmm…. Note to self: Send a gift to whoever changed me. *

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Jason was brought out of his thoughts by the voice of the girl.

" Worry not your journey will start soon, but first you must learn.", was her cryptic message.

Jason, having turned to face her again, thought it time to start asking questions.

" Journey? Learn? Hold on back up.", He said as he placed his hands up in the gesture of 'stop'.

" First things first. While I don't mind the fact that my body changed, since it appears to be for the better, but I'm not doing anything until I find out what's going on.", he said, with an amount of confidence that he found surprising, while folding his arms across his chest.

" That is not something that I can tell you, but you will discover in time.", She replied with a sad smile.

Jason visibly deflated at that. He drooped his head and let his arms fall to his sides.

" Crap, the shit really hits the fan when people say that." He mutters.

Then all went black.

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1) The Pool of Chaos is basically the point where all things meet, a place of true chaos. It usually appears as a forest clearing with a lake in the center. The water is magical and anyone who touches it causes a random occurrence to befall him or her. Those who look into it find there eyes averted or that they cannot focus on the water. Anyone who makes a very difficult spot check and stare into the water are immediately bombarded by images of everything in the universe and must make a reflex save to avert their gaze, a will save to avoid madness, and a fortitude save to avoid death. For those who wish to find it they must make their way to the edge of the Shadow plane and continue into the darkness till they find the Dream plane where the Pool is found. On the other hand the Pool does manifest on every other plane. Where it is and how long it stays is completely random. I created this using third edition D&D rules and the Manuel of the Planes. Unfortunately this place requires too many tables to be of use. (I currently have 26 and need at least 10 more.)

Author's notes:

            Well I have a new post up. Sorry to those who still look for my stuff, but I have been having many problems recently and I'd rather not go into them.

            Anyway this is a self-insert, starting next chapter with Ranma ½. I know most SI's are found to be bad but I will try my best to make this readable to all. So if you have suggestions please R&R. That's the only way I can improve my writing. Flames will be ignored.

                                                                                    Psycho Jay