3 Part 1 (present)

The bar was too noisy for Kristen's taste. She didn't have much of a choice, in a sense. It was not the best place to hide, but it was the only place she could find until the hourly petrol ended in the city.

Above her, a holographic screen flashed in bright neon pink, showcasing a blurred security footage of a young boy with dark skin and wispy chopped hair, wearing a faded brown cloak as he faced away from the camera. After that, an image of a face, possibly a simulation showed a face. It was masculine and young, with sharp features and green eyes and a very serious frown on his face.

Kristen almost wanted to laugh. She has grown her hair upto her shoulders and began wearing feminine clothing again. She didn't like it, for it was uncomfortable, but it was the best way to throw her pursuers off.

Why the Realm Order bothered to catch a runaway refugee so bad, Kristen had no idea. There was even a reward of one and a half million points just for some information about her.

Okay, maybe the fact that she was traveling illegally from realm to realm was an important fact. It was true she was breaking some multiversal law or something, but the effort they put into catching her was rather annoying.

Kristen decided that it was time to find another "patch" to leave the realm. She had been trying to find one for days, not even feeling much of the pull that she feels whenever one is around. But the feeling was growing steadily and all she had to do was to follow the feeling.

'Hay!' said the bartender, 'If you ain't drinking, leave.'

Kristen stood up. It really was a good time to leave. She didn't like the particular realm she was in. Everywhere was dark and greedy with rather rude people for most part. Yet she understood why the world turned out the way it is. The world was on the verge of dying. Their resources were almost gone and people were barely scrapping what they had to survive. The rich remained rich while the poor got poorer every single day. Everywhere you look, there would be some rundown and abandoned machines rotting off in the corner. Some became houses for orphaned children, who stole and scavenged from the people and environment around them.

When Kristen stepped outside, the pull felt strong again. She cursed under her breath, realising that the pull took her towards the many junk yards that littered the city. They were home to alot of gangs and people who would not think twice to use you to earn an extra point or two.

Kristen had nothing of value on her, only the smithzar that she carried. It could be sold for a good price, but she was careful to hide it under her black robe.

The deeper she watched into the slums, the bigger the mounts of garbage that surrounded her became. She more she walked, the closer the pull became.

But she forgot something very important about herself. At the moment, she was dressed as a girl. If there was one thing that Kristen learned from her travels, it was that women found it harder to live.

'Hay! Look here. What are you doing in a place like this girl?'

'Jaa! Not a pretty one, but she can sell good!'

Kristen frowned. She only arrived to the world about two months ago and she still wasn't fluent in the language. It was something she realized from all of her travels.

She could understand anything that anyone says, but she had to learn to speak the language to communicate. She guesses that it was probably something she had inherited from her mother. Her brother was telepathic, her being selectively telepathic was nothing to be surprised about.

'I won't sell,' Kristen said, her accent sounding rather off, 'Trust me on that.'

In front of her stood three men. Two were tall and bulky while the one in the middle was small and scrawny.

'But she is just a girl,' the scrawny one said.

One of the tall ones examined the girl in front of him. She really didn't have much of a girl's looks. The scar that cross her left eye and ran down her cheek really didn't help at all. But by the way she stood unbothered, bothered him to some extent. Usually a girl would not be so calm when faced with men like them.

'What are you doing here anyway?'

'To find something,' Kristen replied.

'Find what?'

'Hardware.'

It was a reasonable excuse. The best place to find spare parts were the junk yard, the whole reason why alot of gangs even bothered to claim the junk yards are territories.

'This is our turf. If you want something from here, you got to pay something in return.'

'I will pay you based on what I find.'

'You need an entrance fee as well.'

Kristen frowned. She took off the wristband that she scavenged. It had maybe a fifty or so points and tossed it at them. She couldn't use the currency once she was out of the realm anyway.

The man nodded. The other one seemed rather disappointed that they simply could not haul her away and sell her. The scrawny one was pleased and followed the other one.

Kristen followed from behind, feeling the pull getting stronger and stronger. When they entered the center of the junk yard, the men looked at Kristen.

'So? What do you want to find?'

Kristen shrugged. 'I need to see.'

One of the men sighed in exparassion. But Kristen knew where to go. She followed the pull, dragging all three men behind her as she twisted herself among the piles of garbage. When she felt that the location was right, she felt like crying.

There was a whole stash of wires, metal frames and microchips in front of her. Thanking her tattered gloved, she scrapped her way through. Shoving off all the stuff that where in her way. She didn't care what she dropped and shoves off.

'Hay! Don't turn when into even more smaller pieces dumbass! Or we'll charge for those as well!'

Kristen stopped digging. Then she looked at the three behind her.

'Did you find what you want?' the scrawny one asked rather timidly.

'Hmm,' replied Kristen. She didn't want to waste any time. She just hoped she doesn't end up anywhere weird and inconvenient, like all those other times.

It almost happened, and she learned her lesson very well to think twice and try to at least feel what was on the other side before jumping in. She concentrated, trying to feel the intangible wall that layed in front of her and tried to pry to open with her mind. It was a process she practiced to perfection, running away from anyone who wanted to pursue her. She also felt relieved to know that she would end up on solid ground in front of her. Finding the patch would have been a waste if she couldn't survive once she reached the other side. Of course, the process took alot of every from her. The weaker the wall was, the easier it was for her. But she also realized that the more she did it, the less days she had to spent bedridden and comatose. She could feel her energy drain away as the three men behind her gasped and yelled.

'The Realm Rogue!'

One of them pulled out a laser gun. Kristen pulled her smithzar from it's sheath and staggered backwards with a smirk. She had to admit, it felt rather satisfying when people recognized her and states at her with awe, but she really hated the name they had given her.

The Realm Rogue.

It sounded... Rather lame to be honest.

Kristen slowly stepped backwards. The three must have heard alot of exaggerated rumors about her didn't dare to attack right away. Using their hesitation as an advantage, Kristen jumped into the portal.