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Chapter 1.00

Most mentioned character
55 mentions

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Name Text
Erin Solstice
She closed her eyes for a moment. Just a moment. She’d rest here to begin with, get her bearings, and then figure out what had happened and why. The adrenaline slowly drained out of her, and Erin Solstice leaned back, trying to get comfortable. 
Erin Solstice
After a few minutes, Erin Solstice sat back up. The traveller, the first guest of this inn in ages, looked around and rubbed at her eyes.
Erin Solstice
Erin leapt to her feet, heart pounding. It hadn’t been a dream! She looked around and felt at her right arm.
Erin Solstice
The burns flared up again, and Erin winced.
Erin Solstice
The jet of violet flame had shot wide of her by a mile, but it had still broiled her right side. Her jeans had kept her right leg from burning as badly as her unprotected arm, but it still hurt. Erin had no idea how she’d dodged, but that had saved her life. She’d run out of that…cave…and then?
Erin Solstice
Now that she looked around, it was clear that a lot of things were wrong. Erin had been in old-fashioned buildings, even to Renaissance faires, but this—this was the real thing.
Erin Solstice
It should have been lively, Erin felt. She looked at the bar and imagined someone behind it, polishing a mug and serving a lovely cold drink of—
Erin Solstice
Erin’s longing sigh was accompanied by a third fit of coughing so long that she actually stumbled over to the door where it was pouring rain to gulp for air.
Erin Solstice
The dust! Her third assailant in this world was trying to kill her! Eyes streaming, Erin gulped for air. It was like she was breathing the stuff. She wiped at her face, coughed one more time, sneezed, then glared back at the inn.
Erin Solstice
Her voice trailed off. Erin looked around and felt the unbelievable nature of what had happened building on her.
Erin Solstice
She fought off a wave of panic threatening to engulf her. No—she couldn’t panic. She couldn’t—Erin glanced at the pouring rain. It was muffling anything from outside, but she clamped her mouth shut.
Erin Solstice
And with that, she got up and began to explore the inn. The first thing Erin actually did, before even venturing into other rooms, was check her pockets.
Erin Solstice
Most people went into their adventures well-equipped or with some nifty object that gave them an edge. Erin checked her pockets and found…nothing. If she’d known she was going to end up in this place, she would have brought along a backpack crammed full of essentials. And a gun. To fight off the little green men and the Dragon.
Erin Solstice
Erin’s forehead wrinkled as she circumnavigated the common room first, checking the tables and chairs for something, anything. All she found was more dust.
Erin Solstice
Erin hoped not. However, the Goblins and Dragon made her feel there was only one reasonable, unreasonable explanation.
Erin Solstice
But it became clear to her that the first thing that Erin needed was…a dustrag. And that became her first mission in this world. Get a dustrag and clean yourself a spot to sit.
Erin Solstice
It was proving to be a harder challenge than anticipated. There was nothing in the common room, even behind the bar, aside from a line of very dusty mugs. Erin hesitated before the door adjoining the bar and poked her head inside.
Erin Solstice
Erin found a bucket. It was not a dustrag, but you needed water to clean things, right? And she happened to have a fresh supply coming down right outside. 
Erin Solstice
Encouraged, Erin went back to her dustrag hunt. She began opening cupboards in the kitchen, but just found plates, old utensils, what might have been more dust or disintegrated food—
Erin Solstice
Erin gave up on her cupboard search and left the rest for later. Did you store dustrags in the kitchen? Maybe with towels, but she needed a pantry. She scoped out the rest of the ground floor but found nothing so handy.
Erin Solstice
It was a very dark stairwell that looked down on Erin as she put her first foot on the stairs. The young woman looked up and gulped. Given the size of the ground floor, the staircase to the second floor was…ominous, to say the least. It looked like the bones of some gigantic monster in the darkness.
Erin Solstice
Cautiously, Erin ascended. It seemed as though every second stair creaked or groaned loudly as she placed her weight upon it, and the sounds echoed in the dark inn. To Erin, it felt like she was stepping on landmines—each time she heard a loud creak, her heart sped up and caught in her throat.
Erin Solstice
Cautiously, Erin ascended. It seemed as though every second stair creaked or groaned loudly as she placed her weight upon it, and the sounds echoed in the dark inn. To Erin, it felt like she was stepping on landmines—each time she heard a loud creak, her heart sped up and caught in her throat.
Erin Solstice
Erin whispered to herself, keeping her voice low so as not to—to wake up anything that might be up there. At that thought, her heart skipped another beat, and she paused halfway up the stairwell, shaking slightly.
Erin Solstice
Erin took a step back down. The stairs creaked. She scolded herself as her heart thumped painfully.