The Mysterious Man's page

"Just say the word and he will go. We can stay and chat longer, if you prefer."

"I am just a simple man looking to be entertained," he smiled.

The man sighed as his face came back into Keth's eye. "Well, the thing is, Keth will be teleporting whether you want to join him or not. The suits you are wearing are attuned to his teleportation functions, so they will go with him, too. The question is do you want to be in the suits when they go or would you rather get out of them now and burn?"

"The perfomance of a lifetime, actually! You six, it seems, were chosen by fate itself to do this performance. However, before you get to that, I figured we could have a little fun. Keth show them the star chart."

Keth's eye changed to an image showing the entire known solar system. The man's voice continued.

"You are currently on the sun, here on the left. Pretty hard to miss, I'd say. Now, me? I'm here all the way on the end, sitting comfy and cozy on Aucturn. From what I know, the performance to end all performances happens on Aucturn. I figured, while you're here, we can have a little trip through the stars before the show gets going. Keth, how much energy do you have for teleportation?"

"Reserves contain enough for eight standard, four greater, or one interplanetary teleport."

"Aha, yes! You hear that? One more interplanetary teleport! So my thinking is this: the seven of you, you six and Keth, will teleport to the nearest planet. Then, it's up to you to find a way to get here where I am. It sounds like a very splendid time if you ask me."

"Oh, yes, well, I suppose I should get to that. Right. I've gathered you all here because you are meant to be great stars. You are to be part of a show! The reason you are on the sun is, well, just because, I guess. I thought it would be a fun place and I've always wanted to see it. It is quite the sight, isn't it?"

You are on some nondescript stone platform overlooking the city.

"Yes? Splendid! Ha ha, great!" His voice came accross as very eccentric. "Now that you're all awake, let me just explain a few things before any more questions are posed. First and foremost, you're not ascended, dead, or anything else but simply mortal, well and alive. You best keep that suit on if you'd like to keep it that way. While on that subject, I'm sure you'd like to know what that suit is. It is a modified pressure suit that not only protects you from the elements, but also has a limitless air supply, counters the effect of high gravity, feeds you, and also contains dimensional pockets for all your odds and ends. It is quite the marvel. I'm quite proud of it, really.

He brought his hand next to his face, two fingers raised.

"Number two! Try to be nice to Keth. He's still new to this, so some of your questions just confuse him. He's more of a book than a teacher. Ask general knowledge. Instead of asking, 'What's the best place to get a drink in that city up ahead?' Say things like, 'Say, Keth, that sure is a neat city. What's the name of it and how many people live there?'"

Keth's eye returned to green for a moment. "Locale: the Burning Archipelago. Population: five hundred fifty-two thousand, three hundred and seven." The man came back into view.

"Very good, Keth! He's a keeper! Anyway, let's move on. Point C! The nose issue is easily resolved. You can pull your arm into the suit and reach up to your face for any scratching necessities. And lastly, a monkey god is just as important as that drunk freedom fighter god. You just need to ask the right people. Obviously, you've never been to the far east. Our scaly friend here probably knows about him."

He looked around at the others excitedly. "Well, I think that's everything. Any questions?"

"Uhh, Keth, actually let me take over from here." The man's voice from earlier came from Keth itself. "Transmit, please."

Keth's eye brightened from green to an almost golden yellow for a moment. A man's face came into view within his eye. He was an older elf, wrinkles well set around his mouth and eyes, very evident of decades of smiles and laughter.

"Okay, hello? Can you all see me now?" he called out.

Yes, the goat is here too.