115 Phase 99: The Wanted

Dreamworlds is a psionic network that links the dreams of billions of people.

Colin is a Dreamer, one of those who put on the Dreamworlds Headband when they go to sleep and share their Dreams with each other in Dreamworlds.

Tonight, Colin Dreams in Nakama World, a Dreamworld where animals become the Comrades of humans. Comrades help Dreamers with all sorts of things, but are especially important to Travelers like Colin, who face many dangers like Wild animals.

It is the closing of the thirteenth night since Colin first joined Nakama World. He and Katrin had arrived on this unfamiliar continent ten minutes ago, and she'd gotten angry at hi for some reason and left him behind within the first two minutes of their arrival. Now, it seems even Shiro has left him to chase after a female of his own rare kind.

***

"Not AGAIN!" Colin groaned.

The last time Shiro ran off, he and Raiki had been going to help M-1, Kyria, from a bad situation.

{Maybe he's off to rescue some other creature in distress?}

He tapped his watch. "Shiro? Mind telling me where you're going?"

"Yip!" Shiro answered, but it didn't sound like he was coming back.

[Shiro! What's going on?] Colin reached out with his mind.

Shiro sent back an idea of [Later! I'll be fine! Don't call me; I'll call you!]

"Great." Colin grunted.

"What did he say?" May asked.

"He doesn't want to tell me yet. He just doesn't want to be disturbed." Colin grumbled.

"Really?" May marveled. "You can understand him?"

"Sort of." Colin winced. "But it's more like catching an idea than him actually saying a sentence."

"Wow." May whistled. "You can talk to animals!"

Colin gave her a flat look. "You're making fun of me."

May fell over laughing.

"Well!" the voice of an older lady sounded behind him. "Looks like you two are having fun."

"Hi, mom." May waved.

Lady Scarlet came around and gave Colin a good look-over. "You really should wear something warmer. This is the warmest part of the continent because of the hot springs, and you're already cold. You need proper gear. We should go out shopping."

"Ooh. We're gonna dress Colin up." May grinned.

"Shopping?" Colin groaned. He hated shopping with his mom and his sister, Gracie. It always took forever while he stood around waiting.

"Of course. Can't have you going around in jeans and t-shirt." Scarlet frowned. "Shaggy Bear furs, I think. If you're already this cold in this town, you'd never survive the Rainbow Glaciers in just leathers."

"Is that the coldest part of this continent?" Colin asked. "This Rainbow Glacier place?"

"No. It's sort of halfway." Scarlet told him.

"But you're dressed just like normal!" Colin protested, gesturing at her red dress.

"This is Frost Eel egg-wrap fibre. It's what they use to keep their eggs warm." Scarlet told him. "You have no idea how expensive and difficult it was to get this."

"That's because you wanted it red. If you simply took it in natural colors, it wouldn't have been half as hard." May snorted.

"I do have a reputation to maintain." Scarlet pointed out. "Besides, its natural coloring is totally unpredictable."

"So…" Colin said, wanting to change the subject. "What are you guys doing here?"

"These are my favorite training grounds." Scarlet said. "Lots of things here are weak against fire."

Scarlet's Comrades were all red. Did that mean they had strong fire attacks?

"What about you?" Colin asked May. "Following your mom's footsteps?"

"Oh no, you won't get me to tell you my theme that easily!" May grinned. "Not until after we battle!"

May had been waiting a long time to battle him. Several nights now. "Fine. Choose a place and we'll fight."

"Not here." May said at once. "Come with us to Crystal Cove."

She glanced at her mom, and Scarlet nodded. "If half of what I hear is true, I think he should be fine."

"What did you hear?" Colin asked.

"Well, we heard you destroyed the whole continent." May said blandly.

"I wasn't surprised to hear that you came here. Many of those who want to get away from their troubles find their way here, somehow." Scarlet added.

"I didn't destroy the whole continent!" Colin protested. "Sekai destroyed one town, and I spared the last one."

"You did wipe out everything else." May pointed out.

Colin winced. That much was true.

Scarlet laughed. "The Justice Knights threw me out and put me on the wanted list for destroying one village. I can't even imagine the price they're putting on your head."

"What's the price for yours?" Colin asked, glumly.

"Ten thousand for each confirmed kill, up to ten kills." Scarlet told him. "A hundred thousand for a live capture."

Colin shook his head. Just a few nights ago, he'd have been boggled to hear of such sums. His time as a Forester on Lamico, however, made them seem ordinary.

May was checking from her watch. "Colin's worth twenty thousand Clira per kill, up to fifty kills. The reward for a live capture is a Nova Gem."

Scarlet whistled. "A Nova Gem? That thing's priceless, nobody's willing to sell one for any price. I didn't think the J-Knights had that kind of money."

"A lot of people said the same thing." May went on. "Seems the funding is coming from all six noble houses of the Lamico Continent, and the Lamico Industrial Union."

Scarlet let out a laugh. "You've certainly made enemies, Colin."

"Yeah." Colin grunted. "You planning to turn me in?"

"What for?" Scarlet shrugged. "I already have a Nova Gem, and I can't very well go and collect even if I wanted the reward. But you really went overboard at Lamico."

"It all started with one simple thing." Colin groaned. "And I did my job. One thing led to another until…"

"Yes. I know." Scarlet said softly. "It was the same with me. And now we are both on the J-Knights Most Wanted list."

"Congrats, Colin." May added. "You reached Number One on that list."

***

The rest of the night, Colin spent as a dress-up model for Scarlet and May as they brought him to a clothier and tried about twenty different sorts of outfits on him.

He was relieved when it was time to Wake Up and he could get away from it. The bill came up to nine thousand Clira for a whole collection of outfits, but Colin had grown tired of arguing with them after the first hour and just paid in cash despite Scarlet offering to take the bill.

"I don't like owing debts." Colin said.

May paused when he said it. "Colin… you've changed."

"So have you." He replied.

Scarlet put a hand on May's shoulder and shook her head slowly. "All right, Colin. You can pay if you wish."

They stashed his stuff at the inn with him for a day while he Woke Up, promising to meet him tomorrow night and bring him to Crystal Cove.

Meanwhile, Shiro was nowhere to be found.

"Brilliant." Colin said, staring up at the ceiling of his room at the inn, making sure he set it as his Starting Location, and Woke Up.

***

On the fourteenth night since joining Nakama World, Colin wavered for a long minute in the blue mists between Dreamworlds, hesitating.

There were two Dreamworlds open to him. One was Gardens World, where he'd grown up as a kid, always having picnics with his parents and his parents' friends, and his parents' friends' kids, who were supposed to be his friends, but usually just left him out.

The other was Nakama World, where he'd met Shiro, his First Comrade, and Katrin, his closest friend. But Katrin had stomped off on her own, Shiro had run off with that girl wolfcat, and lots of people on Nakama World seemed to hate him. Also, the Green Men were on Nakama World looking for him.

Well, it was either him, or Katrin, or Phillip, but nobody had any clue where Phillip was, so he didn't count. Why would they go after Katrin, anyway?

Nah. They were most likely after Colin. Everybody else was blaming him for everything. Why not them too?

Colin considered.

He hadn't liked Gardens World. It was boring sitting around while his parents talked and his 'friends' there all liked to tease him and laugh at him. The most exciting thing that happened there was the night he accidentally ran into a Gate that appeared out of nowhere and couldn't remember what happened to him the rest of the night.

At least in Nakama World, he had adventures, and abilities and friends who took him seriously. He had the animal Comrades, if nothing else, even if Shiro did like to run off on his own sometimes. May and Scarlet were willing to help him even though they knew the J-Knights and so many others were after him. There were others, farther away, but whom he could still call friends who helped him out.

"Nakama World." Colin called out and waited for the Dreamworlds Network to confirm his license. Then he was back in his room at the only Inn of the only town on the Continent of Eternal Winter, wearing the brown shaggy-bear fur coat Scarlet picked out for him last night.

He looked around for Shiro, expecting to hear his usual 'Yip' in greeting as he logged in, but Shiro was not there.

Colin was alone in the coldest land of Nakama World.