Thekoodie

Thekoodie awoke to a strange and colorful world of blocks and pixels. His head was... foggy. What had he been doing before he woke here? Something about... dimensions...?

Standing upright, he noticed the sun was going down. Giant spruce trees towered over him, and leaves crumbled beneath his feet. The soft burbling of a lake could be heard from nearby. A fox cried out in the distance: a bird chirps. Things, of course, Dr. Koodie had only read about in his books. Wherever he was, it was *not* where he was supposed to be.

It took some time, but despite his lack of survival experience, Thekoodie was able to defend against the creatures of the night, gather resources, and build himself a nice cabin near the lake. A picturesque, beautiful sight... yet something still nagged at his mind. The haze in his thoughts had yet to fade, and he found that underneath his clothing, strange devices were imbedded into his skin, flashing wildly between blue and red. Dimensions... he could unmistakably recall precise information regarding their nature, yet couldn't remember why...

One day, Thekoodie ventured deeper into the cave system he had uncovered. Though the upper levels held beautiful rock formations and vibrant green undergrowth, as he ventured deeper, the caves became less inviting, less comfortable, and so, so dark... He found himself, torch in hand, wandering the inky blackness, until his feet hit a ledge, and below... An ancient city, abandoned by time, by nature, by the light itself. A black mold, teeming with still, alien life, had taken hold over the city, creeping its way into nearby passages, invading further territory. And, at the center of it all...

*"Please, Dr. \*&$@!\*!%@#, hold on! Someone, shut it off! My grip... is slipping... NNNOOOO!!!!!"*

... the portal. Gaping, massive, it stood at the center of the city, a grim reminder. The memories flooded back to Dr. Koodie, all at once, overpowering him. Falling to his knees, his torch was swallowed into the abyss below, tears streaming down his eyes. He remembered... everything he had experienced... he had loved... he had lost...

He was far, far from home. Stranded in the vast expanse of the multiverse, with nothing but a malfunctioning life vest to keep him afloat... for now. Someway, somehow, he had to get back. Fortunately, that portal may be just what he needs...

### Chapter 4

Thekoodie's first chapter on the SMP, he was left to fend for himself towards the beginning, only knowing his brother Ghostbo at the time. Deciding to build in an area away from the rest of the crew, he established himself in a Mega Taiga biome due to it's natural beauty and easy access to wood. Building a cabin, he divided his time between mining, farming, and building a secret laboratory to conduct his experiments on the properties of this world he had been thrust into. The discovery of the Ancient City and Nether left him with only more questions than answers, so he decided to send messages out to a nearby establishment, introducing himself.

Shortly afterward, he received a response back from an unknown recipient, and the two quickly became pen pals. Once Thekoodie became a bit more well equipped, he met his mysterious new friend: Aerithh. She had taken an interest in the stranded scientist, as a human hadn't entered the world in... well, quite a while. Discussing with each other their histories and memories, they quickly became close friends, and found they had some things in common. Aerithh had recently gotten into an argument with her friend Skylene over her recent Sculk affliction. While Aerithh found the presence comforting, Skylene worried that the alien substance was manipulating her. Having come to an impasse, Tia left in search of a new place to stay for herself. And Thekoodie, of course, was looking for someone to call a friend in this new, lonely world he woke up in. Aerithh quickly moved into the lab, helping to build sections of it, while also adding secret alcoves for herself.

Meanwhile, Thekoodie continued to search for the secrets of the Ancient City. He made several discoveries, such as that the sculk had entered the world through the activation of the portal, and that it, and the Wardens that guarded it, were fueled by lifeforce. However, large quantities of vegetation and flora could prevent the spread, if need be. This was discovered after an outbreak appeared on the surface of the world. With the help of Aerithh and Deaven, resources were gathered and a containment zone was formed. This would become a vital source of samples for Thekoodie's future experiments...

Thekoodie began to tell Aerithh about his plan to leave the dimension using the portal in the Ancient City, and how he would have to find a fuel source strong enough to power it. Aerithh warned Thekoodie, however, that there was danger in pursuing this path. The dimension, she explained, was sentient: Server-chan, it called itself. The last human to have found their way here, named Levi, had tried to leave before, as well... The Gods punished him before he could achieve his goal, however, and he was smitten and killed. Aerithh told Thekoodie that if he truly wished to leave, he would have to keep his plans a secret, and make sure not to draw the ire of the Gods.

By this time, Aerithh's sculk affliction had grown to the point it covered nearly her entire body, causing a shift in her personality and temperament. Worried for the safety of his friend, Thekoodie quickly devised a system that would help to drain some of the sculk from her. The experiment was a success, boosting Thekoodie's confidence, and strengthening the bond between himself and Aerithh.

Overtime, Thekoodie and Aerithh together explored the four relics that had been left behind by a mysterious explorer: one who had existed before the others had made their way into this phase of the Server. This culminated into a fight with a Warden, where they managed to fend it off despite harsh injuries. The tools and recipes found here, while at first seemingly inconsequential, would heavily impact the course of Thekoodie's research.

Spending his days in the Archives, Thekoodie was able to glean some information relating to the sculk and ancient dimensional technology, but the true gems he discovered were stories regarding ancient artifacts from other worlds: *Ifreann*, Hell's Sword; *Mjorgindor*, Stone's Bane; *Arboudica*, the Axe of Rebellion; *Volo*, Excavator of the Earth; *Skirskitch*, Bringer of Life; *Táifēng*, the Bow of Typhoons; and *Barbados**,*** Weapon of Riches. Having little combat experience of his own, he ventured throughout the world, gathering the artifacts that had, one way or another, been lost from their homes and wandered into this dimension. Armed with these, as well as armor forged in the flames of the Nether, Thekoodie felt prepared to take anything on, even the Gods.

After observing crystal samples from nearby geodes, a breakthrough emerged in Thekoodie's research. The Echo Shards found in the Ancient City were regular crystals corrupted by the sculk. What's more, harnessing these shards, along with the mysterious pearls found in the End, resulted in an item that could achieve long-range teleportation. Though not interdimensional travel per-say, this did provide vital clues towards crystal's heightened energy output upon interaction with sculk. If this could be harnessed, it might provide enough energy to get him home...

Unfortunately, Thekoodie was running out of time. Aerithh's sculk had begun to grow rampantly once more, and treatments that had proven effective prior failed to work on this most recent outbreak. Gome, Skylene, and Egg, the three Gods, were beginning to question what that eccentric scientist from another world was doing in that small cabin of his. And, of course, Thekoodie's own tech that was keeping himself stable in this reality, was beginning to show signs of failure...

Reading of a recipe for an alcohol known to be strong enough to intoxicate even the Gods in a book in the Archive, Thekoodie hatched a plan. If he were to intoxicate the Gods during their "TNT Party", where they celebrate the cycle of life and destruction Server-chan brought, he could activate the portal before they could stop him. Working with Aerithh, they brewed a drink they called *Quetzalpetlatl*, after a God involved in a story where intoxication led to divine punishment. Passing out the alcohol to the others on the day of the party, the plan was all set in motion. There was just one problem...

That night, Skylene, who had managed to avoid getting wasted on the alcohol, talked with Aerithh. She knew what Thekoodie was planning, the dangers it presented, and she wanted Aerithh's help in stopping him. She claimed that the plan wouldn't work, and that Thekoodie would only cause himself to be killed, just like the previous human. Thekoodie barged in, looking for Aerithh, and an argument ensued. Thekoodie and Skylene told Aerithh to choose a side: in the end, she went with Thekoodie.

However, there had been one thing he had yet to mention to Aerithh. The battery he had developed, integrating elements from the Nether, End, Ancient City, and the Relics, still wasn't enough on its own. To truly ensure full stability, he required a greater energy source. The sculk, he explained, consumed lifeforce, and had been feeding on Aerithh's for quite some time. That made her extremely energy-rich: a living battery, essentially. Using a suspension chamber, not unlike the one he used in her sculk treatments, he could harness the energy from Aerithh's affliction, allowing for the portal to be powered and for Aerithh to potentially be cured of the sculk. That was, if his hypothesis was right.

Unfortunately, theories were not enough for Aerithh. She accused Thekoodie of taking advantage of her, her friendship, and her vulnerabilities: using her as a Guinea Pig rather than treating her as a person. She wasn't willing to risk her life, just to lose the one friend she had had in so long: "Why can't you live here?", she asked, tears streaming down her eyes.

Thekoodie felt betrayed. His one and only friend, who had overseen and helped him all this time, still didn't trust him enough to go through with the experiment. Sure, he would regret having to leave Aerithh behind, but she had always been here, right? She belonged here. He, on the other hand, had another world, another life, to return to...

An argument started, and in a fit of anger and bitterness, Thekoodie cursed their friendship, exclaiming that he would activate the portal, with or without the help of Aerithh. Aerithh simply glared, resolute in her decision not to risk her life, her friend, on a theory. Thekoodie pulled the switch, causing the portal to light up with a rush of magical energy and whirring machinery. Stepping forward, closer and closer towards the portal, Aerithh called out for him to stop, Skylene yelling to turn the machine off, that it won't work. Thekoodie didn't care. Tears streaming down his face, he went to make the first step into the swirling gates, and then...

Reality shattered, the portal straining the dimensional fabric too greatly. A sound like a million glass shards, amplified by 1000x, thundered throughout the broken reality, for what felt like eternity, while Thekoodie's own form felt like it was being shattered into another million shards, falling, and falling, and...

### Origin

*"Where I come from... isn't really a nice place."*

Thekoodie was born in Earth 1373, an Earth that had experienced World War III and plummeted into nuclear fallout. With everyone having dug underground, scientists of the time decided to develop teleportation technology to allow for others to see each other again. Though the surface was inhospitable, the underground thrived. Thekoodie went to Subterranean University, though at the time he didn't quite know what he wanted to do. However, a Professor of Theoretical Physics took note of the young man's intellect, and decided to invite him into his new class, called "Basics of Dimensions". Thekoodie quickly fell in love with the study, and decided that year to change his Major from Undecided to Physics. It just so happened that the Professor was, at the time, working with the United Peoples of the Earth (UPE) on a project to open a portal to another reality. Thekoodie, being his star assistant, was chosen to assist with the research. Working so closely with the technology and science, Thekoodie quickly learned all that humans knew about Dimensional travel, as well as what continued to be discovered. His research, as well as the research from multiple universities and groups, culminated into the first ever Dimensional Gate being created.

By this time, Thekoodie had graduated from Subterranean University after completing his Bachelors in Physics, and had just received his Doctorate in Dimensional Sciences and Theoretical Physics. He was working closely with the Dimensional Gate by this point, and had learned the motive for building the machine in the first place: to successfully migrate the human population of Earth to a more hospitable Earth. Thekoodie found the goal quite honorable, and believed that he could save humanity with his work.

However, one day an accident occurred. An unknown person/error resulted in the Dimensional Gate opening without authorization, and while other scientists, including Thekoodie, were in the testing chamber. As the scientists attempted to shut off the Gate, Thekoodie and his colleagues rushed towards harnesses kept on the walls in case of an emergency. However, the Gate at this point had been open for too long, and was beginning to destabilize resulting in the fabric of reality to be pulled into the portal. A colleague's harness snapped, and Thekoodie reached out to grab them. Now bearing the weight of two people, Thekoodie's own harness began to give, while he was also losing his grip on his colleague. Presented with the possibility that both would get sucked in, Thekoodie made the ultimate sacrifice: he quickly unharnessed himself, and while he got pulled in, harnessed his colleague instead. His last memory as he flew into the blue light of the portal, was that of his colleague reaching out to him in vain, screaming...