The port court was swarming when he arrived. Many players were in the midst of rushing about, ether to chaotic or to another match; yet Tom did notice how people would stare at him. Their eyes would flash wider for a moment, before quickly turning away and whispering to someone nearby. Or, in the worse case, someone would pull of their scanner and snag a picture of the elusive "Missing" Tom Majors.

Kaz's sleep deprived look remained, but Tom had thankfully reverted back to normal when they'd ported to the port court. His clothes felt like the normally did, the scar had vanished, and so did his headache. He still wished his memory came back as well, but beggars can't be choosers.

"Tom!?" A voice, rising above the clatter of the court, called out. Tom turned his head, and spotted Sarah and Peyton sitting right at their normal table. He noticed some changes rather quickly, such as Sarah's new haircut and Peyton's growth spurt. He also noticed the shock in their looks, and how they practically bolted from the table to hug him.

"Major T!" Peyton yelled, practically picking Tom up as he hugged him. "Holy crap dude! Where have you been?!"

"We thought you were dead!" Sarah yelled, socking Tom in the shoulder when he was set down. Just as quickly, she pulls him into a hug as well. "What happened?! You gotta tell us all the details! Did you find the Tribeless?"

"Did they keeps you in some creepy prison?" Peyton asked, leaning closer as an excited tone took his voice. "What did they look like? Are they all like Smildon? Or are they so different you couldn't tell who they came from?"

"Guys," Tom began, holding his hands up a bit defensively. His headache was starting to ebb back. "Could we maybe sit down first, just relax for a bit…"

Peyton and Sarah shared a quick, worried look, before nodding and motioning back to the table. It was around that time that Kaz came rushing back, ripped down flyers practically overtook his arms.

"Sorry about that buddy, I had to take theses down since we found you." Kaz replied, dumping most in a nearby trash can. One of them managed to avoid it's trashy fate and fluttered over to the table, just close enough for him to pick up.

"You guys made posters?" Tom asked, mostly surprised and honestly touched. As his eyes scanned the page, his jaw dropped. "A Chaor scan, three prehistoric scans, seven other rare cards of your choosing from our decks?! Guys, what the heck, why did you make an offer like that?!"

"'Cause you're our friend, dude! And we'd figured people would be more inclined to answerin' your whereabouts if there was a little reward on the table." Peyton nonchalantly replied, leaning back in his chair. Yet the smile quickly faltered, "But then everyone started trying to get the cards, and it didn't turn out to well…."

"Besides," Kaz smiled, grabbing the flyer and crumpling it. He tossed it behind his back, and didn't seem to acknowledge that it didn't land in the trash can. "We'd probably trade our whole decks if it meant you being ok, Tom."

"As since you're ok, how about you tell us what happened!" Sarah added, smiling slyly. "We looked all over Perim for you! Peyton got arrested, Kaz had to go through another coliseum match in the underworld-"

"Whoa, what?!"

"-I know right!" Sarah leaned closer, practically half way on the table now. "So c'mon, what's your story? Where did you go for the past six months?!"

"...uh...well." Tom leaned back, looking away from his friends and practically towards anything else. "I...I don't remember."

"...what?" Sarah asked, raising an eyebrow. "You're kidding, right?"

"Nope, I woke up in the Forest of Life still thinking it was October. " Tom replied a bit guiltily, rubbing the back of his neck as he turned to face his friends. "Trust me, i've been trying too! The only thing I do remember is getting caught up in a fight, a M'arrillian was there-"

"What, really?! What did it look like?!"

"Uh...glowy?" Tom shrugged, "kind of like the world's lamest octopus-"

"And that's not the only thing, look at these pictures I took when I found him," Kaz interrupted, pulling out his scanner and showing the group he pictures he'd taken earlier. "Check out the scar!"

"Whoa, what?!"

"Oh my god!"

And just like that, the table divulged into questioning, speculation, and catching Tom up on what had happened during the past six months. It was actually rather nice, and the situation almost seemed to fade back to their old banter. Kaz and Sarah still cut each off or finished each other's sentences, Peyton still told cheesy jokes. It was good, and Tom almost felt a part of himself missing this.

Yet the rest of him still felt like it was October...

Apparently Sarah got a girlfriend, and that they'd live only a town away back on earth. Peyton had lost his first rematch to Imthor, but one the second in an attempt to get more information about the tribeless. And Lastly, Kaz had been filling in for Tom at the Overworld arsenal, since Bodal was his only major connection to overworld information.

"Believe it or not, Bodal actually seemed like he was missing you." Kaz replied, "and Maxxor's probably going to calm down once he see's you back at the arsenal. He couldn't send any overworlders out cause you know, more important give stuff, but he did always ask me if you'd come back yet."

"Right, right." Tom nodded, flipping through his scanner. "Honestly I'd be a bit worried if he did send out a search party."

"What'cha doin' Major T?" Peyton asked as he snagged a soda from a passing service bot. The bot paid Peyton no mind as it went along its way.

"I'm wondering if I scanned anything while I was missing," he paused, squinting at all the familiar scans, "maybe I was quick enough to get something before they, or whoever, wiped my mind."

"You don't think it was the M'arrillian, do you?" Kaz asked, leaning closer.

"I dunno, maybe? Can M'arrillians even wipe minds? I thought they could only control them…" Tom mused, before stopping on a rather new, pale white creature card. "Well that's new…"

"What is it?" Sarah asked, leaning closer to try and see. By now, everyone at the table was peering at Tom's scanner, at the mysterious card before them…

The creature looked rather humanoid, with a similar body and working arms. Yet their green skin and hair-shaped tentacles showed their aquatic nature truly. The image was of them working on some battle gear, and tongue sticking out as they focused, eyes covered by thick goggles. The stats weren't the best, but they certainly weren't the worst. The highest was wisdom, yet the lowest was power….yet the name and the description stuck out the most.

Picsis

Dreaming of adventure, Picsis often fixes battlegear for tales of the outside world…

"Dude," Peyton said as he marveled the card. "The borders white…"

"I know," Tom replied, equally shocked, he couldn't stop staring at the card, wondering what or who Picsis was. Obviously they were a mechanic, from the look of it, but…

How did he get a scan of them?

"I've never seen a creature like that…" Sarah mused, turning the scanner towards her to get a better view. "Do you know what this means?"

"We have a clue?"

"Yeah, and you got a ultra rare scan!" Peyton exclaimed, before quickly getting his mouth covered by both Sarah and Kaz.

"Peyton! Do you want the whole court to hear you?" Kaz not so quietly whispered, eyes darting around the court like mad.

"Psh, coming from Mr. "Hey check out my new past perim scans"?"

"Hey!"

Yep, even if six months had passed, nothing had really changed.

The cool air of the north soothed Smildon's mind. It's harsh, reality gripping wind could always steel his mind to the here and now, bringing him away from any memory that swallowed him whole. It was almost a blessing when Maxxor had him stationed up near the north, with Blugon and other ice adapted Overworlders…

He was still getting use to being part of a tribe again.

No longer dependent on himself, teamwork had alluded him for some time. Sure, the human had helped him, and even surprised him, but that was a different kind of teamwork. The human could leave whenever it wanted, Smildon's team couldn't. Which meant that if they felt like it, they'd annoy the crud out him until something happened.

Normally Smildon would simply walk out into the cold, just to clear his head. If he was feeling particularly annoyed, though, a scuffle would happen and someone would come to break them up. It was rare that that happened, but it wasn't unexpected….

Thankfully, he chose option one today.

As his eyes surveyed the snowy terrain, something in the distance seemed to catch his attention. Off in the distance, something akin to a light seemed to shine. It would flicker once, twice, before stopping and repeating again.

Smildon quickly made his way over. He knew it couldn't have been anyone from the camp, they'd be foolish to track him out like this. Which could only mean…

" 'bout time you got saw me!" A furry creature, covered in cloaks to shield himself from the cold, called out. "Nearly freeze my tail off waitin' for you!"

"Ugh…" Smildon muttered, already pushing down the next migraine as he walked over. "Why are you here? I thought you'd gotten all the information you'd wanted out of me-"

"Easy, easy. I was just sent up here to tell ya your human's safe and sound." The cloaked creature replied, holding his paw up in defense. "Mind's wiped, body's healed, etc etc. Just remember the deal."

"What do you take me for, a child?" Smildon's growled, yet felt a wave of relief wash over him. That stupid boy was bound to get himself killed one of these days. "I've kept far more secrets than you'll ever know."

"Alright, alright, yeesh." The cloaked creature, probably rolling its eyes under its cloak, turned to leave. "As long as we got everythin' straight. I don't care. The farther that thing is away from us, the better…"

"Whatever you say; just get away from here before someone else sees you."

And with that, the Tribeless creature began to shuffle off into the snow. Smildon, likewise, did the same, making his way back to the camp he was stationed at. He wouldn't lie, it did make him feel a little better that Tom was back with the other humans. Sure, he was a crafty and quick, but those traits could only get you so far. It would have been a matter of time before he…

Smildon quickly shook his head, banishing the thought from his mind. He had more important things to focus on, like what to say when Tom when he finally found him. The fool would ask, or probably demand an explanation. Yet Smildon wasn't ever really good with words….

Well, he'd have plenty of time to come up with something…

Tom had been studying in the library when it happened. The book by Edgar Allen Poe laid wedged open by a almost blackened eraser, pencil furiously scribbling down anything that might prove useful. His lit teacher had decided to give out a Pop Quiz today, and he'd lucked out by having her for his last class. He'd knew he had to get a good grade, else risk his B dropping to a C.

So, he didn't really expect his scanner to start beeping, no after it's six months of dormancy.

Tom had stared at the device once, twice, before his lead covered hands rushed for the contraptions and pressed down on the button so fiercely that he'd sore he broke it.

He expected a flash of some heralding adventure to cross his vision, some sort of sign to tell him what had really happened…

Insead, all he got was….

Nothing.

Only the image of him waking up in the Forest of Life, his meeting with Kaz and the gang, and that was all. All that time, all that waiting, and all he had was nothing, it made his blood boil at the total let down! He was angry, enraged even! At the very least he expected something! But to get nothing at all, only a few memories after and a-

Quickly, he grabbed his scanner once more, flipping through his online deck until her saw the scan…

Picsis, the mysterious creature who he'd some how managed to get a scan of…

What did they have to do with all of this?

He'd quickly sent his code back to Perim as he continued his studying, channeling his rage into furiously scribbling down notes. He'd have to let his Perim self handle the rest, but at least he knew he wasn't dead…

It would be a few moments later that Kaz would rush in and try to tell Tom what he already knew. Yet the distraction would help him calm down…

He'd end up getting a 85 on the quiz, boosting his grade from and 80 to and 82.