(I apologize for the terrible video quality. I will replace it if I find a way to get a better quality recording.)
Finally, Farewell
The Crashers climbed onto the familiar bus. Piloted by the same boxy droid, the seats clean, the windows tinted, it was all the same. The heroes sat in their seats, and the door closed. Soon enough, the bus began driving. The windows became blurry, with nothing but white light and stars.
At first, nobody talked, but then Vike broke the silence. "Do you think this will bring us back to our worlds?"
Cyrus answered, "There's really no way to determine that, but since it got us here the first time, it's not unlikely it will get us out."
"I guess we never asked," began Vike, "but what's your world like, Cyrus?"
"It's prison." Cyrus said, "Across the whole country of dust and sand, there's only anarchy. The government crushes the people with an iron boot, and the people turn to stealing and killing to escape it. It's those kind of people I work so hard to stop. If I could just get out of that blasted desert, I could get back. Back to where I'm meant to be."
Vike thought solemnly for a second. "I can see why you're the way you are," He started, "Where I come from, it's not that different. The sun never rises, and the land is always twisted. As terrible as it is though, I need to get back. There are monsters that need to be stopped, and people that need to be avenged."
John and Jeffeus stared at the two. Vike asked, "Something the matter? Where do you two come from?"
"Nothing like your worlds," John answered. "Well, there are monsters and evil people..."
"But there's some good too!" Jeffeus added. "I personally come from a small humble town."
"And I," John said, "from a grand city, which I swear to protect."
"Still," they both said together, "Neverwinter's got its ups and downs." There was a sudden pause as they looked at eachother, then tumbled over each others' words in a mix of "You're from- Wait we live in the same- No way, you too??"
"But I really have to get back." John continued, "There are wars to be fought and evil to be slain."
"War," Cyrus added, "As detrimental as it is, it's often what needs to happen to gain real freedom. I respect your position to fight for your kingdom."
The bus began slowing to a stop. The doors opened, and outside was a bustling city. Buildings towered above, light-up signs illuminated the narrow streets, and paths arched above, cutting off most of the sunlight. The air outside was hot, dry, and notably smoggy.
"And there it is," Cyrus sighed, "The capital of Kryptas. This is where we separate. After all, I still have a bounty to catch, and I can't be wasting time. Even such, I found our adventure together... enjoyable. Farewell."
Cyrus stepped off the bus and raised his mask and hood. He gave a quick sendoff motion, and then left without looking back. The bus continued.
Jeffeus turned to his recording eye and said, "Well everyone, it looks like the series is coming to an end. I'd like to thank all of you who watched me stream this adventure, and I'm really going to miss this gang."
During Jeffeus' speech, the bus slowed to a stop, and the doors opened. Outside was a long wheat field, with the shadow of a town in the distance.
"Well this must be Phandalin," Jeffeus said, "It really was such an experience, and I'm glad I met you all."
Before stepping out of the bus, Jeffeus looked into his recording eye. "Well," he began triumphantly, "This really was an Earthbound Crash!"
He then left the bus, he kept on ranting. "Thanks for watching everyone, and don't forget to like and subscri-" The doors closed and cut him off. The last thing the others saw was Jeffeus and Smog waving back with hand and tail as the bus drove off.
For a while, there was no talking between the last two passengers. Eventually, Vike mumbled, "It's really coming to an end, huh?"
John contemplated for a moment, then said, "Honestly, I'm gonna miss this. The adventures, the people... my friends. It was the first time I felt... free. Free to change the world. Well, it looks like the bus is coming up on its next stop."
The bus slowed to a stop and the doors opened. Outside was a raging battlefield, with knights and steampunk constructs opposing a side of evil forces. John got up from his seat, but so did Vike. "Hey, Smith," he said, "We'll meet again. I'll make sure of it." and the held out his hand. John gave a firm hand shake. "And I'll look forward to it."
John Smith stepped up to the doors and called out to the battle, "John Smith, at your service!" He jumped off the bus and ran into the front line. Magical projectiles blasted, and swords clashed as the doors closed and the bus drove off.
Vike was now alone in the bus. With nothing to keep him busy, he began prodding around the interior. He examined the construct driving the bus. It was a boxy, retro looking robot with tube arms and light-bulb eyes. On its chest was a tag with some serial code written on it. "Z2-50696C6F74 'Buster' " and lastly a brand: "HEX"
"Hey, junk-box," Vike called to it, "What's this HEX guy? Is he your boss?"
But the construct didn't respond.
"Not much for small talk," Vike continued. "Well, tell 'HEX,' I want to meet him face to face."
No response.
"At least... tell me... Is... is Paula okay?"
No response.
The bus slowed to a stop and the doors opened. Outside was a road on a silent night. Street lamps barely illuminated the road, and gothic buildings stood around the bus. Vike hesitated, but got off the bus. As soon as he stepped foot on the stone road, he found a small striped gift-box at his feet.
He slowly opened the box. Inside sat a simple envelope. He opened it and read the letter inside.
"You wish to meet me face to face? Good luck with that. You must wait before you may even witness me.
"Paula is back where she belongs, before you ever met her. But... her memory of you remains, just slightly. An interesting outcome.
-HEX.
The few words were comforting, and yet raised even more questions. Vike turned to the bus, but it was already gone. He put the letter in his pocket, and then continued on his way, into the night.
And that's the end! Thank you to all the people that took the time to read these lengthy posts, and I really hope you enjoyed the whole story! If you have any feedback on it, please feel free to comment.
By the time I'm writing this, my next Dungeons and Dragons campaign has already started, which follows the same heroes, but explores their characteristics and their own worlds more. I will NOT be posting a whole series on that, because it's so much longer than this campaign, and I don't have it in me to continue doing this. For reference, Earthbound Crash took place LAST YEAR. I don't wanna know how long it would take to write about the new campaign. But if you all are interested, I may post about some of the major events.
If you liked this series, you can find many more partially-original and original stories among my other posts and in some of the games I make.
Again, thank you. I wish you all a great rest of your day.
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