THE CHRONICLES OF FINALGAMER
The Gamer's Crossing

"A person who cannot live in society, or does not need to because he is self-sufficient, is either a beast or a god."
Aristotle

The first thing James felt upon waking up was a sudden intake of oxygen again, gasping like a fish out of water, as he laid on his side upon a very muddy part of a gravelly firm path.  Or perhaps a road, he wasn't sure, choking as he once again felt the rush of his lungs filling up with sweet sweet oxygen.
	"HHHHHUUUUUUU!  AGH!  AGH-HHHAAKK!  Ohh christ...d-did it...work?"
Looking around himself, he was definitely not on the Great Fox anymore, or on any spaceship for that matter.  The first thing he felt was the rain upon his body and the mud on his chest.  The oxygen deprivation and warping had weakened him beyond usual, even upon waking up.  He shivered in the cold, unable to drag himself anywhere.  In the distance he saw two lights heading towards him, and did his best to weakly wave for assistance before passing out.

	"You heading anywhere?" said the first voice he heard upon his awakening.
He felt the texture underneath him to be different now.  It was velour, soft and plush, making him feel rather relaxed to lie his head on despite an odd muddy dampness soaking through them.  He also felt a strange subtle motion of his body rising and falling, realising he was in a car.  He looked up at the windows, seeing a rain-splattered road before sitting up to see an odd froglike character driving it.  He turned nervous despite wanting to catch a ride.
	"Uhh..wh-what?  Where am I?"
	"Said you heading anywhere, wondered if you were walking to someplace or such."
	"Um...well...I don't remember."
The sudden barrage of questions from the friendly but world-weary Southern accent made his head a little sore, as he laid back on the seat and asked:
	"Well, who are you?"
	"Name's Kapp'n, young'un, and ah found you on the side of the road all washed up.  Yer welcome by the way."
Oh great, someone decided to pick me up after all, thought James to himself.  Thankfully not some kind of kidnapper.
	"Um...th-thanks...sorry about your seat there."
	"S'alright, ah can wash that easy.  So ah ask again, were you heading anywhere?"
	"Um...actually no, I was kinda just on the road....but if you know any place I can get off at maybe a town or village or something?"
	"Town eh?  Oh I know a good place fer that."
Kapp'n the driver changed the gear on his vehicle and proceeded to drive a little faster.  A few minutes passed, James staring at the night fly past him with rows of trees flashing past.  The roar of the car engine clashed with the spatters of rain and the monotonous squeaks of windshield wipers.
Soon, Kapp'n stopped and the raptor passenger stared out at the front window.  A gate laid before him, a large wooden one set within an old stone arch.  The driver honked his horn 5 times precisely as the gate opened up.  It split both ways, being pushed apart by two canines in red guard uniforms and stern metal helmets.  One was lean and stern-faced like a general.  The other was portly and had the face of an absent-minded person.
	"Here's yer stop kid.  Before you go though...was yer name?"
	"Hm?"
The raptor looked at the driver before getting out and said:
	"Uh my name's...James.  Thanks a lot for the ride."
He got out and ran into the archway for cover from the rain, shaking himself dry as he turned to wave the driver away.  The gate closed before him, as he faced the two guards, who stood before a second gate.
	"Well well well," said the taller guard strongly, "an unusual lookin' visitor we have here.  What's yer business here?"
	"Um...n-nothing, I just got picked up by that Kapp'n guy, said he found me on the side of the road so he gave me a lift...nice guy.  So...where am I?"
	"You are at the gate into Crossville, a pleasant little town where I hope you will not become a nuisance within."
	"Well I hope I won't at least...can I go in?  Maybe stay at an inn or something?"
	"Course you may, but like I said, no trouble from you."

And so they opened the second door, the creaking drowning out the rain temporarily as he headed through the arch, finding himself in a strange little place.  It appeared to be a town, several houses planted haphazardly all over the place.  A sea horizon was before him with cliffs on either side.  He almost felt trapped, were it not for the strangely serene atmosphere it exhuded upon him.
Wandering around the town disoriented and worried, he eventually saw an important-looking building with a clock on top of it, noticing it was actually open as he walked in.  The rain soaked from his body all over the wooden floor.
	"Hello?"
His voice sounded loud in the quiet of the place, where nobody except a sneering pink pelican gazed at him briefly before saying:
	"Yeah?"
	"Oh sorry, uhm...I'm a lil lost, I just came into this town a few minutes ago and-"
	"You lookin' fer a house or sumthin'?"
	"Well, really an inn, I need to sleep somewhere properly."
	"We don't have an inn, people don't come here to visit, they come here to live."
	"...what kind of town doesn't have a place to stay?"
	"The kinda town that doesn't appreciate slackoffs!"
	"Hey hey now Phyllis, leave the poor traveller be."
An old voice came from the back of the pelican, revealing to be from an old tortoise.  He had a wizened little grey beard, a top hat, a wrinkly cane and small bifocals.  His dark green shell barely showed within the dim light of the place.
	"Yer a strange 'un, young 'un...where ya come from?"
	"Uhh Chicago...kinda trying to get back home but I got lost on the way.  Actually it's looking impossible to get home now."
	"Hmmm...think yer right, never heard of a place like that in all my life, an' I travelled far in my younger days fer sure I'll tell you that!"
	"Damn...I've been really far away from home and...well a lot of problems I had too.  I ended up here and...do you have a place for me to stay?"
	"Well sadly no...except this ol' house near the gate to the right of it when yer facing it.  You probably saw it on yer way here."
	"Ohhh...wait why that house?"
	"Owner moved away, nobody there but a lonely li'l bed...though you wanna talk with the guy who really owns it."
	"You mean like a landlord?"
	"Kinda, his name's Tom Nook, his store's over next to the Able Sisters, just walk out the door, turn right and keep walking."
	"Alrighty, thanks!"
He headed out into the rain, desperate for a bed.  The drops lashed his face, making him ever more upset of the idea of never finding a way home, but he would deal with that later.  Right now he needed a bed, passing the shop that clearly read Able Sisters and what appeared to be a shack beside it called Nook's Cranny.  He knocked on the door loudly, seeing the store was actually closed.  No reply.  He banged harder, the rain making him care less about manners until a tired voice came from behind the door.

	"Who's knockin' on my door this time o' night, cantcha read the sign?"
	"I need to sleep somewhere, I just came into the town and the mayor said you had a house!"
He had to shout a little above the rain before the door opened.  A raccoon in blue pyjamas with a flashlight in hand was framed within the doorway, looking quite irritated but trying to keep a smile on his face.
	"Well, I wish we met in more suitable times, but since you're so desperate, lemme find the keys and I'll letcha stay.  You planning on staying?"
	"Not really, I just need to sleep, if you need money I can pay you back in the morning, promise!"
	"...well it's not like you can leave the town easy so lemme get the keys stranger."
Wandering off into the darkness of his own store, he came back two minutes later with a keyring that held only two keys, handing them to James.
	"Go and sleep, then we talk in the morning about it okay?"
	"Oh wow...uh th-thank you Mister Nook!"
	"Oh just call me Tom.  Now have a good sleep."
He closed the door with a slam and James rushed towards the abandoned house, his wettened hands fidgeting in the lock before he pushed it open and nearly fell into the main hall.  All there was, was a single empty room before him and a staircase to his right.
Kicking the door closed and assuming the bed to be upstairs, his guess was rewarded when he headed up the stairs slowly to find a single wonderfully humble bed before him.  The sheets looked as if they were made from the clouds themselves.  It took all of his strength to not fall completely onto it clumsily, as he slipped off his jeans to leave on the floor before slipping into bed.  He was half-wet but didn't care, wanting to deal with all of it in the morning, sighing as his troubles disappeared into the stormy night.

The next morning came with not a single drop remaining in the sky.  The raptor awoke from his soaked slumber, a little concerned at the bed that was now partly dampened.  He noticed his jeans had managed to dry out on the also wet floor, wondering about any damage to them, but instead he just wore them once again as his only item of clothing before walking out into the blissful sunshine.
Everything was so green and alive.  Earthen pathways littered the ground, trees bearing orange fruit in every direction with the sound of a stream snaking through the town to the sea before him some yards away.  A few of the inhabitants ambled around with their lives, some of whom looked at him with intrigue or anxiety.
Remembering about one particular villager, he went back to Nook's Cranny, which he saw to be open at last.  Inside it was very homely, or rather small as a tiny little store with a few miscellaneous items such as garden tools and wallpaper.  The raccoon greeted his newest potential customer warmly.
	"Ahh you're up!  And dry as well I see, time I properly welcomed you to my store!"
	"Oh...um thanks...sorry that the bed is kinda wet now in the house because-"
	"Oh don't worry about that, you can dry it later.  I want to discuss something with you though Mr...?"
	"Uhm James, James Campbell."
	"Well Mr. Campbell, I'm Tom Nook, the proud owner of Nook's Cranny as well as the manager of estate property in this town.  Now I know you said you were not staying long but...lemme give you a deal."
	"Uhhh thanks but I'm really not interested in buying a house."
	"Nonsense, why wouldn't you want that lovely house?"
	"Because firstly I'm not even staying here, and secondly the house only has a bed."
	"Well the owner before did own everything but the bed, you can't blame me for that."
	"...it didn't come with anything except one bed?"
	"Yep."

James raised an eyebrow, wondering who would sell a two-story house with only one bed in it.
	"Riiiight...but like I said, I'm not interested, I only came to pay my debt."
	"Well, alright then...I think 500 Bells will do."
	"...bells?"
	"Yeah, bells.  Surely you know what they are right?"
	"You mean the things in churches that go ding-dong ding-dong?"
	"Well sorta, I mean smaller ones that don't really ring at all...unless you're from a very far away place that don't use them at all."
	"I kinda am yeah."
	"Hmmm...tell you what, since you don't have any money, you can do some jobs for me around town and work it off, sound good?"
	"Sure, I've done that before, what you want me to do?"
	"I want you to deliver a few packages to various people around the place who've been expecting them.  Could also help you get used to the town while you're here."
The raccoon picked up three packages balanced on top of each other and handed them to the raptor, who balanced them with ease.
	"Now I expect them to get each package as soon as possible."
	"Uhhh how am I gonna know who's who?"
	"Just match the names of the packages to the names on each house, it's really that simple.  I'd do it myself but I really have to manage my stock here and I am accepting some new floors in as well so, I'm a li'l stacked up you may say."
	"Alright...uhhh I'll be back soon as I can."
	"Just deliver them quickly!"
And so James headed out of the door, trying to maneuver the land with packages between his chin and his hands.  The first name on the package was Bob, who he eventually found very close to the beach in the southwest of the village.  He resorted to knocking the door with his strong scaly tail.
Opening the door was a male purple cat, a rather devilish expression on him as he looked over the visitor.
	"Hey, you Bob?"
	"The one and only, pbbbhht."
The cat flickered his tongue for a little raspberry effect.
	"What do ya want?"
	"I got a package for ya from Tom Nook."
	"Ahhhh finally."

He took the package with ease and put it on a sidetable near the door, leaning against it as he looked James up and down, staring at him.  His eyes were like gazing ovals that seemed to pierce deep into him, the raptor trying to restrain his shiver.
	"I...came into town last night."
He felt he had to say something to the stranger, his odd disposition making him uneasy.
	"And now you're running work for Nook, huh?  Just typical of him.  Bet he tried to sell you that house too."
	"Actually he did, yeah...he's done it before?"
	"He sells estate.  Of course he does, he wants people to stay in town!"
	"What is he, some kinda town stalker?"
	"Pbbbbhht, nah, just wants more customers and if he can keep a new one in town, more money for him.  Wouldn't say it's a bad idea though to make sure people don't wanna leave!"
Another deepening stare from the cat meant more internal shivers for the raptor.  Was this place so desperate for people to live here or what?  The enthusiasm the cat showed at this was strange, along with his eyes strangely...dead.
	"Well much as I like the place, I really wanna get home.  You know a place called Chicago?"
No reply.  He assumed this time he didn't know.
	"What about...London?"
More staring.  This would have annoyed him but there was something very unsettling about Bob.
	"America?  England?  The UK?  The USA?"
	"Nada, zilch, kaput and just plain nope, pbbbbhhht!"
A somewhat helpful-looking smile was plastered across his face like a cheshire cat.
	"Dammit..."
	"What's the matter?  You don't like it here?"
	"I'd just rather go home."
	"And yet here you are on the road."
	"I didn't mean to, I got lost, I was trying to escape."
	"Now why would you go back if you wanted to escape?"
	"I just-...I...nnngh it's hard to explain, listen I really should get these packages delivered."
	"You can tell me everything...I don't mind."
His tone was innocent enough, and as much as he wanted to trust him with his questions, he felt unsettled.  The eyes kept throwing him off.
	"Well...kinda hard to explain but I was escaping from someone, trying to get me."
	"Oooh, you a convict?  Family abuse?  Jilted lover?"
	"No no, just I was in this lab, people did stuff, I ran away, they want me back for their lab stuff."
	"Ohhh.  Any...special powers?
	"None that I know of...so I kinda ran away, got knocked out somewhere, woke up somewhere waaaaaay away from my home, now I'm here."
	"Well...these people you tryin' to run from, real persistent I bet?"
	"You don't know the half of it."
	"And you wanna be free of them right?  Bet you can't even blink back home without them taking a picture of ya."
	"Yes, exactly!"
	"Well...I could say you got a lucky break in finding a place to live in exile, dontcha think pbbhhht?"

A strange thing to consider, but the cat had a point.  He had no way of facing the Army on his own back home.  The Fishnet was very likely to be completely destroyed with its members dead, captured or escaped.  Seeing as he was one of the escaped, and fearing the worst for Sarah, who could very well be dead or ruined beyond repair, he contemplated a life in this village.
A life of peace and routine.  No surprises, no complexity.  Just one little community.  He turned back to Bob and said:
	"You know...I'll think about it.  Thanks."
And with that, Bob closed his door and James headed off to make his two more rounds with the packages.  The next house belonged to the name Rasher, right down by the beachfront.  A less nicer-looking shack as he knocked on the door.  Opening it was a rather lean and mean-looking brown pig, with a huge scar over one eye.
	"Hey, who the hell are you?"
	"Name's James, and I got a package for ya from Nook."
	"Aw SWEET!  Finally get all my zen up in this hizzle with this!"
He grabbed the package like a starving man would grab a plate of food, and frantically began to open it, completely ignoring the raptor.
	"Uhhhh I'll let you get on with that then."
	"Oh wait wait!  Dude, you need something for that."
The pig handed James some small looking bells the size of coins, flat and golden.  He finally understood what Tom Nook meant.
	"Wow...thanks man!"
	"S'alright bro, you keep it real now ya hear?"
	"No worries!
The strange speech of the pig made him think back to the streets of Chicago, the gangs and such.  He was tempted to ask about the scar over his eye, but thought to leave it another time as he made one final delivery, to the name of Daisy.