Third chapter? Coming right up!

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Vincent didn't know what to imagine when he stepped through the portal. At first, it seemed like they were zooming towards a long, white tunnel, an image of a small kingdom in the middle of a green field could be seen in the distance...

But what he didn't expect were three extra locations to suddenly appear, as the tunnel seemed to shift and the group seemed to be pulled apart. He couldn't tell where the others were going, because everything seemed to be moving too fast...

Then he went through a portal, and landed face-first in the dirt. They never showed this in the game... he thought, sitting up and rubbing his neck. "Ow..."

"Jeepers! Are you alright, sir?"

"Yeah, I'm fine, I'm..." Vincent looked over, pausing when he noticed he was sitting right in front of Oliver!

Suddenly, his mind split into two parts. One part was telling him, 'Alright, stay calm. Remember, he doesn't know you. Don't freak him out, just treat him like any other person.' while the other part was screaming, 'Oh my gosh, I'm standing right in front of Oliver! Where's my camera?! I gotta get a picture with this kid! This is awesome!'

"You just came out of nowhere... how did you do that?" Oliver asked.

Vincent cleared his throat. "I'm a wizard," he told him- knowing, in this world, it would be simple to believe. "I opened a portal to this world here. My friends and I were hoping to explore it,"

"You're a wizard? Neato! So am I!" Oliver looked around. "But, where are the rest of your friends?"

Vincent looked around. As he figured, they weren't around... and he grew concerned. "I don't know... They stepped through the portal with me, but something went wrong- they must have ended up in different places." he looked down at his wand, confused. Maybe Zeke was right- maybe my wand can't do this kind of magic, and something went awry.

"I can help you look for them. I'm going to Al-Mamoon to meet up with my own friends... Maybe one of yours is there, too. If not, we can all help search,"

Vincent smiled- one thing he admired about Oliver was his will to help others. "Thank you." he stood up, brushing himself off.

Oliver cocked his head. "But, um, we'd better get you some new clothes first. People tend to stare when they see someone dressed differently- I know this from experience,"

So do I, Vincent thought, remembering how people reacted to seeing him and the others, and how he even had to tone down his appearance so no one would find it weird that some stranger in a mask was following a kid. "I'm Vincent, by the way."

Oliver shook his hand. "I'm Oliver, nice to meet you."

They walked along the streets of Ding Dong Dell, Oliver leading him into the Hootenanny and asking the elderly woman if she had any clothes Vincent could wear. "Oh, yes, we can suit you up!" she said. "Before I show you what we have, is there anything specific you had in mind?"

Vincent smirked, rubbing his chin as he pretended to ponder. "Well..." he said.

Minutes later, Vincent walked out of the Hootenanny wearing a long black jacket, with a white shirt, a dark-blue vest, and dark-brown pants, and brown shoes. If he had chosen a red cape, he would almost look like an adult version of Oliver, but long jackets had always been in his tastes. The only thing he wanted to change about it was tearing it a little, to resemble his old one (which he still kept in his hat, which he had tucked away in a bottomless bag they had also bought for him to store his other clothes in), though he figured a few days in this world would fix that.

"Ready to head to Al-Mamoon?" Oliver asked him.

"Whenever you are," Vincent replied.

Oliver waved his wand, casting the Fast-Travel spell.

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Esther paced around the milk fountains, furiously. "Stupid thief..." she grumbled.

After waiting another half-hour for Oliver, Swaine had gotten bored and went to hang out around the springs, telling her they could find him there. The familiar-tamer was furious enough to just tell Oliver that the thief couldn't make it and they could leave without him... but no matter how mad she got, she wouldn't do such a thing to any of her friends (no matter how stubborn one of them was).

Plus, Marcassin would be meeting them on the island, and wouldn't appreciate such an act- the younger prince having claimed he would stay behind and meet them in Teeheeti, after making sure things were taken care of around the palace. ("I'm telling you, I think he's a workaholic!" Swaine had joked after he told them this).

She let out a heavy sigh, sitting down, deciding to strum a few notes on her harp...

*SPLASH!*

Someone dropped in the fountains behind her, dousing her with milk! "Eep!" she yelped, standing up and turning around. "What in the world...?!"

There was a gasp, as someone popped out of the fountain, climbing out. "Milk... not a good idea on a hot day..." they gasped.

Esther took a cautious step forward. "Oh my... Are you alright?" she asked.

The person looked up at her, their eyes widening a bit, but they blinked several times. "Um, yes, I'm fine, just... had a nasty spill," they climbed out, and she looked them over. They had black hair that ran down the back of their neck, wearing a white shirt covered by a red jacket, blue pants, white shoes, and a white cap with a cross on it. The stranger looked around. "Um... did anyone else come around here?"

Esther cocked her head. "Like who?"

"Some friends of mine, one of them being my brother. One of them happens to be a wizard, and we opened a portal here... but somehow, I think we all got separated." the stranger looked up at the sky, then around the city. "Are you sure no one else happened to fall from the sky?"

She shook her head. "Um... no. Wait, did you say one of your friends is a wizard?"

"Yes. He has dark brown hair, hazel-brown eyes, and often wears a long dark-brown coat and hat."

"I'm sorry, I haven't seen him. ...What are your other friends like?"

"One of them is a woman with wavy brown hair and green eyes with a shot-gun strapped to her back, and the other is a black-haired boy wearing mostly a black outfit."

"Okay... What are their names?"

The stranger slapped their forehead. "Ah! Forgot the introduction, sorry. My name is Zippy, and my friends' names are Vincent, Liz, and Zeke. ...I hope they're alright,"

"My name's Esther... and a friend of mine, Oliver, is a wizard as well. We could help you search for them, once he gets here!" she looked at Zippy's milk-drenched outfit. "But, um, lets change you in some dry clothes, first."

Zippy nodded. "Right... I think my outfit is starting to curdle. I left my other clothes back at our last destination, though,"

"That's alright, we can buy you some new ones here."

Zippy shifted. "Well, there's a problem... you see, we use a different kind of currency where I come from. I don't have any guilders,"

Esther patted the stranger on the back. "That's alright- I'd be happy to help you out."

"Uh, okay... But as soon as I earn some guilders, I'll pay you back."

Esther giggled. "Don't worry. It's no trouble!"

Esther took Zippy to the Hootenanny. "What can I do for you?" the old lady asked.

"I need some clothes for Zippy, here- he fell in the milk fountain, and doesn't have any fresh clothes."

"Certainly. Right this way, young man."

Zippy muttered something under his breath, though Esther couldn't catch it, only one word: 'girl'. She waited a few minutes, hoping Oliver hadn't arrived and was wondering where she was at, let alone thought she called off their plans for camping.

Zippy stepped out just then, now wearing a white bandana, red vest over a cream-colored shirt, and blue baggy Arabian-pants with a brown fabric-belt, and dark-red slippers. "Man, I feel like a pirate... complete with a sword, ha ha." he commented.

Esther looked, noticing Zippy suddenly had a sheath tied to his belt. "You had a weapon this whole time?" she gasped.

"Huh? Oh yeah. ...Don't be alarmed, I only take it out in battles." Zippy unsheathed his weapon- it looked odd for a sword. "It's called a machete. I carry it with me everywhere,"

"Ooh, the Cawtermaster's must make unique weaponry, where you come from," the old lady behind the desk said.

Zippy sheathed the machete. "You could say that. ...I hope I didn't scare you,"

"Oh, no, it's alright. I actually do battles myself... though, I normally use my familiars, and my harp." Esther said. "I'm more of a healer during battles. Do you have a familiar?"

Zippy rubbed the back of his neck. "I'm afraid not. We don't have familiars where we come from,"

Esther scratched her head, suddenly realizing the pieces were falling into place- the strange clothes, the different weapon, no familiars... "Are you... Are you from another world?"

Zippy gave an honest nod. "Yes."

"Amazing! Oliver's from another world, too! ...Gosh, wait until he finds out! Wait until Swaine finds out-" she paused just then. "Oh my gosh, Swaine! I've got to go find him!"

"I'll come with you!" For some reason, Zippy's voice sounded very excited, but he cleared his throat. "To help look- I mean, you're helping me find my friends, I can help find yours, heh."

Esther nodded, quickly paying the Hootenanny before heading out.

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*WHUMP!*

Liz landed on something soft after going through the portal. "My goodness!" gasped a voice, and she quickly stood up, seeing she had landed on a young man around the age of 20, with long blue hair, dark blue eyes, and wearing an odd outfit... and also holding a staff- well, used to be, as it was now rolling in front of him.

"Oh my gosh, I'm SO sorry!" she gasped, helping him up. "My friends and I... there was this portal... something happened... Are you alright?"

"I'm quite fine," the young man replied. "Might I ask who you are and... where exactly are you from?" he looked over her outfit as he said this, curiously.

"My name is Liz. My friends and I... well... one of them is a wizard, and we opened a portal here, but somehow... I ended up here." She tried hard to steady her breathing... if she could breathe at all. She looked around, seeing she was standing outside a palace... inside an industrialized city. The air here smelled like someone was paving a tar road, and she winced a bit. Where were her friends? Where was she? "What is this place?"

"This is Hamelin... One of your friends is a wizard, you said?"

"Yes. His name is Vincent."

"...Oh. For a moment, I assumed you knew a friend of mine, Oliver. He, too, is a wizard... and also comes from another world."

Liz arched an eyebrow. "How... How did you know I came from another world?"

"I've been to Oliver's world a few times before in the past year, and the people there dress differently... although, I've never seen a woman dress the way you do." he looked at the rifle strapped to her back. "Or carry a gun like that!"

"Oh, well, my friends and I... we come from another part of Oliver's world, far away." she said, then took a deep breath. "Far, FAR away..."

"I see. ...Oh, where are my manners? I'm Prince Marcassin, Sage and second ruler of Hamelin. My older brother, Gascon, is the first ruler, but he is visiting our friends, Oliver and Esther. I promised to meet them on an island not too far from here."

Liz looked around. "I wonder where my friends are..."

"If you'd like, you may accompany me. Perhaps we'll meet your friends on the way there, otherwise we'll help search for them."

"Oh, thank you, your highness!"

Marcassin looked, seeing a couple people were looking at them curiously. "But, first, lets find you some new clothes, so people don't stare so much."

"Okay..."

Marcassin lead her into the palace, calling in a tailor. "Is there a specific outfit you have in mind?" the tailor, a kind young lady in her 30's, asked Liz. "A nice dress, perhaps?"

"Well, um, I'm not a dress-person... but I do have an outfit in mind," she replied.

Within an hour or so, she walked out, wearing a short, black ninja-robe with a sage-green trim, black leggings, and sandals. Her gun remained strapped to her back- she dared not part with it. "You look very nice," Marcassin complimented her.

"Thank you," Liz replied, walking with him along the city streets towards the entrance of the city, all the while keeping an eye out for her friends.

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"Oi! Mun! Wake up!"

"Uuugggghhh... huh? Auntie Em, is that you?" Zeke groaned, having fallen unconscious after falling through a jungle.

"Auntie Em? Sheesh, mun, did ya land on youer head or somethin'?"

Zeke looked... seeing he was in the presence of Mr. Drippy- a yellowish fairy with a large nose with a lantern at the end, wearing a teal-blue outfit. "Oh. My. Gosh. MR. DRIPPY!" he exclaimed.

The fairy jumped back a bit. "Wha? Ya know me?" he shrugged. "Ah, 'course ya do. Who hasn't heard o' Mr. Drippy- th' Lord High Lord of th' Fairies, who helped th' Pure-Hearted One conquer Shadar? ...But I don't think I recognize you, mun. Where ya from?"

"Another world, to put it simply."

"Oi! From Ollie-boy's world? ...Huh, th' fashion there must've changed in th' last few months, like. I've never seen anyone wear so much black!"

"Eh, it's my style..."

"Well, no use standin' out like a sore thumb- th' beasties will surely hound ya. Best go buy a new outfit,"

"Um... I don't have any guilders. I'm new around here,"

"Wha...? Ah, duh! Get wit' th' program, Drippy! They en't all clever like Ollie-boy! ...Alright, mun, best stick wit' me 'til Ollie-boy an' th' rest get here, they may help ya out."

"Okay... but, um... there's some friends I'm looking for, too. We all stepped through a portal here, but something went wrong... did anyone else land here, besides me?"

"Not that I know of, mun. ...No worries, though. You an' youer friends will see each other again- though, if they lack sense like ya do, best give an extra prayer or two to make sure they don't drop dead,"

Thanks for the support, Zeke thought, rolling his eyes, then followed Mr. Drippy to the Fairy Grounds, where he claimed the others would be arriving in a matter of hours.

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A/N: Well, it looks like everyone's ended up basically everywhere. (Don't worry, Zeke, you'll get a cool outfit, too, soon enough). When will we all get reunited? ...Eventually XD