Chapter Three: Observing the Background.
There was several moments of flailing and yelling before Danny and Sam got untangled and standing. Danny glanced at his best friends in bemusement. Both of them were wearing different clothing.
Sam was wearing a fluffy black Gothic Lolita dress that reached to her knees and had an overabundance of ruffles. Dark violet and blue sparkles were liberally sprinkled on the fold and the corset. Dark blue shoulder pads and bra guard for armor. Long black combat boots with spikes along the top, and a black hood and cape completed the assemble.
'She is overly fond of the color black isn't she?' Writer observed in amusement.
Danny twitched feeling annoyed but ignored Writer as he turned to Tucker. Same stop light colors as in the real world, with an added brown multi pocketed work apron around his waist, tools and gadgets and thingamabobs peeking out of the pockets.
"So what have you two been up to?" Danny asked.
"Tucker heard what happened and got me and we came right over. You okay Danny?" Sam explained peering at his face in concern, "You don't look like you're in huge amounts of pain."
"Why would I be in huge amounts of pain?" Danny asked confused.
"Because something fell out of the sky and fell on you! And you had to go to the Healing Room!" Tucker said waving his hands about.
Danny stared blankly and then groaned and cradled his face in his hands, "Tucker are you still going on about your phobia of healers?"
There was a soft sullen 'No' from Tucker.
Sam cleared her throat and asked again, "So you're alright? Did Jazz use her magic on you?"
He stared at Sam, slightly confused at the oddly worried tone in her voice. Why would Jazz using her magic be bad?
"Well yeah she did. Other then making my headache go away nothing happened," Danny said slowly. He blinked as Sam and Tucker suddenly broke into relieved smiles. Okay was differently missing something here. But at least he could talk to them about what was going on.
Danny opened his mouth planning on complaining about the ghost in his skull but found his couldn't make a sound. Again.
'I hate you,' he thought at Writer.
'This is not my doing,' Writer snapped back. Danny had the odd feeling of something squirming around in his skull and then the sensation of the ghost crossing his arms and glaring, 'But I would muchly prefer you don't go around talking about me with out my permission.'
Danny rolled his eyes and then smiled at Sam and Tucker, "I'm fine Sam. You two should get back to class, I'm gonna just wander around. I'm under orders to not do anything strenuous."
Sam hugged him again and Tucker patted his shoulder before the two of them left down the hall. Danny took a deep breath and looked around.
He was in a long stone hallway. The door to the training room was behind him and Sam was entering a door about half way down the hall. Tucker was taking the only stairs leading down. Across from where Danny was standing was a door with music leaking softly out of it. The healing room was down the hall across form the stairs downward. There was another door across from the one Sam has entered. Both ends of the hall way had stairs leading upwards. However guards where blocking Danny from going up.
There were a few tapestry's on the walls showing fantasy battles with knights and mages and monsters, and more tall candle things were placed in sequence to light up the hall.
'Shouldn't you be freaking out more abut losing your powers and being unable to talk?' Writer asked snidely.
"Course not. We're in a game and as far as I can tell the rules state I have no ghost powers," Danny answered calmly as he walked down the hall and then down the stair. He paused and perked up at the bottom as he realized something, "I'm not allowed to meta game!"
Ghost Writer asked voice full of confusion, 'Meta game?'
"Yeah. I know stuff but the character I'm playing doesn't so if I have my character use knowledge he doesn't know yet, that is meta gaming!" Danny explained waving his hands as he wandered the castle, examining the rooms.
'Ah yes I see. I would of referred to that as-'
"Oooh treasure!" Danny interrupted as he opened a chest.
'You are stealing. In front of what, five different people?' the ghost snapped.
"Not stealing. I'm the main character in an rpg I'm suppose to open chests," Danny corrected. The ghost harrumphed and went off to sulk. Danny collected the potion and then frowned in thought, "Heeey. What is your name? I've been thinking of you as ghost or writer but that can't be right."
There was a sudden frigid silence of cold hard rage in Danny head. He stilled and stood there waiting, not quite sure why the writer was so angry.
'Call me by whatever nickname you wish. But do not presume so much as to think it is my name, ' the ghost softly said
Danny blinked slowly and then offered, "Okay. How about John?"
'Fine.' was the hard curt reply.
They wandered the rest of the castle in uneasy silence. Danny met King Lancer of Amity Kingdom which was a bit of a 'what the fuck' moment. Finally, Danny exited the castle to find himself in a courtyard. At which point a giant, huge, enormous, mountain of a man blocked the sunlight, making Danny look up at him.
'He is bigger then my dad,' Danny babbled to John, 'I didn't know that was possible.'
"Trainee Fenton, I see you've been released from the white mages. As you're under orders to take it easy, run off home. You're off from training for the rest of the day," the man said in a voice of rumbling rocks and avalanches.
Danny nodded and said, "Yes sir, Captain Highwind sir!" before snapping off a salute. He boggled at the knowing of the guy's name as the salute was returned and the Captain moved off.
He glanced back and forth as he walked down the court yard. Two groups where at opposite ends, training. One set was wearing a version of the uniform Danny had on the other-. Oh crud.
The other had Dash and Kwan. Well he was certainly avoiding that group.
Exiting the courtyard brought a dizzyingly rush and then he was on the world map. Tiny castle behind him, town to the right. But first!
He walked forward and then started going back and forth and back and forth and back-
'What are you doing?' John finally spoke up tone full of bafflement.
"Leveling up of course," Danny answered. At which point his vision swirled crazily, music swelled, and he was facing a gelatinous glob thing. Danny grinned in glee. He was going to get gold and exp soon.
Some time, and multiple monsters later, he was now at level three. Time to go to town and stock up.
'This should be more boring then it is,' John commented, 'I'm just sitting here watching you do repetitive things.'
"Well right now I'm going to go shopping and fine an inn." Danny pointed out as he entered the town. He leaned against the entrance and blinked. The shift in perception shouldn't have been as odd as it was considering he had just spent time going in and out of battles.
Then again there was still a moment of confusion then too.
"I'm tired, I'm gonna- oh hey home."
Danny stared blankly at the house with the giant FentonWorks sign on it. His brain was being sluggish and slow from a sudden attack of tired. Didn't help that night was falling.
"To home and bed. I'll shop in the morning," he muttered walking towards home.
As he entered his house Jazz's words about a house guest popped into his suddenly not as tired brain.
"Daniel how good to see you," Vlad masters said putting down his teacup and smiling, "My how you've grown."