Before the tear was sealed, a miasmatic droplet of non-existence stealthily oozed out and hid behind an inconspicuous statue of Raptor Jesus riding a mechanoid. The droplet soon took shape of a friendly bunny-person. "Hello frands!" the bunny greeted the characters with a dumb smile that reeked with insanity. "Nice to seE you all in this Normal reality! I'm a normAl bunny person and my name is

,

S̶̡̢̱͖̫͍͈̳̥͎̿̌̌͑̈̀͗̕͠c̵̡̨̢͙̣͇͕̰͖̖͕̜̺̰̞̔̎̿͋̊͊͐̋́͐̏͂͝o̵̧̢̞̟̜̬͇̫̠̜̔́̊̄͋̎̍̃̍̓̕͠ṯ̶͇̯͚̬̝̫͙̲̑̀̆̔͝͠t̴͕̥̥͇͔͙͈̺̘̳̦̪͇̋̆̊̓̓́͑́̄̅̕̕͝͠͝.

,

Would you like to participate in some Normal Pastime Activities with me? Here, I've saved you all a seat!" The bunny-person's fleshy red tongue lolled out like a big wet carpet being unrolled before the group.

St. Vicar had already unsheathed his blade, the metal humming succinctly in the cold still air of the early morning as he positioned himself between Madeleine and this eldritch being. The old swordsmans eyes squinting and jaw hard set as he gazed with the utmost seriousness in his expression.

Madeline was torn ... emotionally, not like reality had been, she wasn't really qualified to sew actual injuries closed, just universes and fabric mostly. Peeking around Saint Vicar, peering at the creature with a look of deep suspicion on her face, it took VEEEERY long seconds for her to come around and sprout a wide smile, finally offering a wave to the anti-creature from its void of non-space.

"Hello S ... uh ... SC ... s C o ... ,

S̶̡̢̱͖̫͍͈̳̥͎̿̌̌͑̈̀͗̕͠c̵̡̨̢͙̣͇͕̰͖̖͕̜̺̰̞̔̎̿͋̊͊͐̋́͐̏͂͝o̵̧̢̞̟̜̬͇̫̠̜̔́̊̄͋̎̍̃̍̓̕͠ṯ̶͇̯͚̬̝̫͙̲̑̀̆̔͝͠t̴͕̥̥͇͔͙͈̺̘̳̦̪͇̋̆̊̓̓́͑́̄̅̕̕͝͠͝.

! I'm sorry if you're here for the inn ... cafe ... tavern, it's kind of in my bag right now."

She peered down at its unrolled tongue. She just assumed it was some kind of anti-greeting from the anti-verse, and leaned down to give the tongue a little pat. "Oh my, we're actually off on an adventure!"

"Lass we ain't having..." he waved his sword at the thing "This, come with us, whatever the hell it is I don't like it."

Madeline looked up at Vicar with big, watery eyes. "Why? I mean ... yes, it dripped from a tear between worlds leading to some evil nether-verse permeated by the very ichor of darkness and chaos, a sentient facet of it's unimaginably malign whole, likely calling out to it like a lost pup, but in ways beyond comprehension ..." Madeline paused and considered her own point, which she'd gotten a little far away from.

"... Right! People change Vicar, I used to have shorter hair and now I don't." Madeline nodded as if this was the ultimate example of personal growth.

Madeline looked up at Vicar with big, watery eyes. "Why? I mean ... yes, it dripped from a tear between worlds leading to some evil nether-verse permeated by the very ichor of darkness and chaos, a sentient facet of it's unimaginably malign whole, likely calling out to it like a lost pup, but in ways beyond comprehension ..." Madeline paused and considered her own point, which she'd gotten a little far away from.

"... Right! People change Vicar, I used to have shorter hair and now I don't." Madeline nodded as if this was the ultimate example of personal growth.

"Do you know that was the last thing my last travel companion said," he told her seriously looking her dead in the eyes then said "Then our 'friend' gutted by old pal in his sleep."

Madeline stared up into Vicar's eyes, her optimistic smile slowly dripping away like so much Scott. She looked slowly back over at the not-quite-rabbit creature, then shook her head.

"Are you sure it was THIS dust bunny from beyond the abyss?"

Madeline stared up into Vicar's eyes, her optimistic smile slowly dripping away like so much Scott. She looked slowly back over at the not-quite-rabbit creature, then shook her head.

"Are you sure it was THIS dust bunny from beyond the abyss?"

"It could be Madeline, anyone can be a monster."

Thunder crashes from off in the distance, and it begins to rain lightly. Madeline looks to Scott again, then back to Vicar.

"I mean ... there is something kind of off about Scott ..."

Considering it a moment longer, she finally offered a shrug and a nod. Probably better to be safe than sorry, wouldn't want to glitch out the server or anything.

Thunder crashes from off in the distance, and it begins to rain lightly. Madeline looks to Scott again, then back to Vicar.

"I mean ... there is something kind of off about Scott ..."

Considering it a moment longer, she finally offered a shrug and a nod. Probably better to be safe than sorry, wouldn't want to glitch out the server or anything.

"Yes then, lets be off." he took the reigns of his horse from Madeline, hopping into the saddle and holding a hand out to get her to follow "Hop on and hold on lass."

A million billion tiny blue spiders suddenly emerged from Scott's gaping maw, swarming onto Madeline's hand and crawling up her arm. "HEy where did those spiders come from?" Scott wondered out loud as he coughed up more of the horrifying little critters.

"WOaH IS THAT A SWORD!?" the creature then noticed St. Vicar holding his blade in a combat-ready stance. "OH BOY ARE WE GOING TO PLAY STABBYKILL??? THATS MY FAVORITE GAEM CAN I GO FIRST???" A hundred freakish snake arms instantaneously erupted from the bunnyperson's back, each wielding a blade of its own pointed at the Saint. "HOW MANY STABS ARE WE PLAYING To?? HOW'S 999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999?????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????"

Momentarily disheartened by Vicar's seizing of the reigns, she soon understood what was happening as his hand stretched down to her. Of course, it was about this moment she found herself covered in a millin itty bitty spiddys. Closing her mouth so none would wander in, and wrinkling her nose as she felt a few little arms testing their welcome, she offered a little squeal of frustration as she batted the spiders off of her face and hands, the rest hanging stunned in place, forming what looked like a lustrous fur coat that draped from her form.

Sucking her teeth in frustration, Madeline opened the menu and closed the game. It didn't take long to uninstall, and once she did her antivirus found Scott in a few seconds and wiped him from digital existence with a click of "okies." Reinstalling took a bit longer what with updates, but it wasn't TOO long before the game was back up and running, and as the world returned to a state of existing, Madeline offered a little blink.

... Everything seemed normal, although there was a blinking red dot in the corner of her vision that mentioned something about a sale on in-game currency that she couldn't figure out how to dismiss.

FINALLY she reached out and took Vicar's hand, although he looked a little weirded out by being reinstalled, and swung her little self up onto the horse, pushing her pink hair back into order and straightening her large witch hat once she was settled.

"There we go!"

... Everything seemed normal, although there was a blinking red dot in the corner of her vision that mentioned something about a sale on in-game currency that she couldn't figure out how to dismiss.

The blinking red dot expanded ever so slightly, like a sinister cyclopian eye - watching, waiting. A momentary slip of common sense and money would gush like a river breaking free from a dam from the players' precious piggy banks into the greedy hands of the game devs.

"Hullo!"

Celene was only 4 ft 9, and waved to the horse prancing about in a meadow with a little witch and a mighty scary looking like dude. It was okay though, because Celene only had one brain cell and just wanted a ride to the village market to sell her basket of lemons, limes, and mangoes. Anyway. Tiny Celene waved frantically to avoid getting trampled.

"Hullo! Hullo!",

she catches her breathe with a big gasp ,

"is there, by any chance good sir, that a young maiden may hitch a ride on your horse to Greenfern village?"

With questions of dark, other realities bubbling in the backs of their minds, the small adventuring party set out once more down the road. The thick, clinging vines of the darkened wood peeled back, and soon they were travelling through a forest like any other, rather than one that could easily be said to contain a monstrously large and particularly murderous turtle.

Madeline, who had taken to floating along rather than engaging in such a mundane mode of transit as walking, was the first to spot the little figure approaching. Of course, little being rather related to distance, it wasn't much longer before Madeline, to her own chagrin, realized she was still the shortest among them, with the new arrival standing feet taller than her once they were up close.

Stifling a little sigh, she offered a wave, noting only now the lingering aroma of citrus.

"Hello ... you smell of limes ... welcome!"

*Shrugs*

... SUDDENLY AND YET INEVITABLY ... the forest parted, and past a small clearing of sun-yellowed grass and nameless ferns (except one named Archibald), the little hamlet of Greenfern could be seen. Poking out of the tall grass some twenty feet before the nearest building stood an old wooden sign, upon which was written "The Hamlet of Greenfern Village."

A bunny wearing a funny hat jumps out from the sun-yellowed grass. It looks upon the party menacingly! Its... hands? paws? move in a circle as an ominous hum fills the area. Sparks come from it's hands and fill the air. Something's forming out of the sparks. It's...! A balloon shaped like a fern?

Madeline didn't notice the little bunny, nor it's little funny hat, at first. Even when the humming began, the little witch was convinced the cicadas were just busily warming up. It wasn't until the balloon appeared that she let out a startled peep, watching as the freshly birthed floaty floated off with the wind.

Blinking a few times, she peered down at the bunny as the horse moved past, bound for the little town's sleepy little general store, where a hitching post stood empty. Madeline offered a little wave to it as she muttered to Vicar "Strange welcome ..."