The Seeker

His name is Jon Billings. Arguably the most famous man in this universe, or any other, Jon Billings is the greatest explorer ever to be born. Through his humble beginnings as a political officer in the Orbision army, he led his troops to victory time and again. Finally, after he practically single-handedly won the war against the former De-Dross Empire, he left the army, turning down the opportunity to become the new commander of the entire Orbision army to become an independent adventurer. He began traveling all over this world, and then the surrounding ones, and once he ran out of planets in this dimension, traveling to worlds in other dimensions. At one point he even traveled through hell itself. It’s said that he defeated a powerful demon in a high stakes game of chess while there, though Mr. Billings declined to comment on the validity of that. Throughout all of his travels, Jon would always come back home, bringing souvenirs and tales of his heroism. Because of his travels, Mr. Billings has raised our technological level to its current height, saving our world centuries of research and development! Somehow, through his travels, Jon has found a way to remain youthful and handsome. Voted Orbision’s most eligible bachelor for over fifty years and counting, Jon is the epitome of what a man can be. The only thing that seems to have changed over his years would be his hair slowly fading from a sleek black to a dazzling white, though he only looks all the better for it, and in this humble reporter’s opinion, compliments his soft blue eyes all the better. Today marks the seventy third year since he first graced us with his birth. And so, airing all today on every channel will be all thirty two seasons of the hit series, Jon Billings: Hero of the People. But first, the critic acclaimed movie trilogy; Jon Billings, the Untold Stor-


“Bah!” Jon grumbled, as he muted the large television in his spacious rec room. “What a load of garbage.” He sat there on his custom made recliner for a few seconds, rubbing the stubble on his square jaw before he burst out laughing. “Even if it’s completely biased, I’m still amazed every year when they make a new documentary showcasing my greatness! Half of it may be completely inaccurate, and the other half exaggerated to almost to that point, it’s still based in a little truth. I really am an outstanding individual!” He laughed out loud again, his voice booming throughout the cavernous mansion in which he lived by himself. “Ah, I’m cheered up. I always get depressed on my birthday. I’m sorta glad they made it a multi dimensional holiday. Even if it does mean that I’m the only person on TV for a week.” He broke into giggles again. “Not that I have to go to work anyway! I’m retired! Finally, I have the peace I’ve always wanted! Peace! Quiet! Riches! Women! And most of all, nothing trying to kill me! It’s as good as I always dreamed it would be.” He wiped a tear from his eye.

His mood suddenly darkened. “Speaking of dreams, I still have nightmares about some of the places I’ve been to. Rydia, Catachan, Dagobah. And I’ve been to heaven and hell. I sure had been surprised just how similar they were in some ways. That’s something I never told the press.” And then there was the place that haunted him the most. Hell had been, well hell, but this place. He shuddered at the thought of it. The oppressive feeling of being dwarfed by even the plants. That constant tingling at the back of his neck, warning him of danger. And knowing he was constantly being watched. And then when he met the inhabitants… He shook his head violently, his shoulder length white hair whipping about. “I need to take a cold shower.”

He stripped out of his pajamas and walked to his bathroom, grabbing his favorite fluffy white towel on the way. Tossing the towel over the top of the stall he stepped in and turned on the water, sighing as the cool water sprayed over his lithe scarred frame. He began to sing a tuneless little ditty as he washed himself. His shower time was one of his high points of the morning. With another sigh of contentment, he turned off the water, his thoughts cleaned along with his body. He pulled down his towel and wiped himself off. Tying the towel around his waist, he opened the curtains and stepped out into the undergrowth in his bathroom.

“Wait a minute…” Jon turned back in time to see a section of his spotlessly clean bathroom vanish before his eyes, to be replaced by some more assorted shrubberies and a practically large tree. In fact looking around, all the trees seemed to be very large compared to him. He felt his stomach drop away as his heart leapt into his throat. His legs, and bladder for that matter, felt weak. He knew where he was. He pinched himself and let out a low moan at the pain. This wasn’t a dream. He was back in the place he had promised he’d never return to. “This can’t be… Not again!”

“Hey! I think I heard something! … Yeah, over that way, come on! I’m hungry and you should really eat some better food for you too,” Jon heard a familiar voice say from somewhere that was, in Jon’s opinion, way too close.

Jon Billing, intrepid explorer, savior of hundreds of worlds, and Hero of the People, felt his face went as white as his hair. He gripped his fluffy white towel tighter around his waist as he heard the sound of something large approaching him. “I’m so screwed…”





And still Xak fell…