Chapter 1: The Beginning

Hello there. I have been playing a lot of Don't Starve Together lately, so story ideas started swarming in the ol' noggin. This will star Wilson Percival Higgsbury as he tries to get home from the nightmarish world that Maxwell has thrown him in. This will loosely follow the storyline set in the stand alone game, and will introduce a new character into the mix. Let me know how you like it by leaving a review! (I love reading them.) Enjoy!

"Checkmate." Professor Kate Bennet said with a smile. She grabbed her glass of water and drank a little, sitting back in her chair after her well-earned victory. "Better luck next time."

Wilson sat forward in his chair and ran a hand through his black hair, making it lay down flat for a second or two before popping back up in its normal messy fashion. He studied the board, trying to figure out how she had managed that move without him noticing. When he was satisfied that she hadn't cheated, he sighed and slumped in his chair, defeated. "Well, I concede, I suppose." He said and grabbed his tea, taking a sip.

Kate stood and straightened her light blue dress that fell just below her knees. She brushed a blond curl back behind her ear and held her hand out to him over the chessboard. "Good game, old sport." She said in a deep voice, imitating a man as a joke.

Wilson smiled and stood, shaking her hand. "You as will, Professor." He chuckled and straightened his red waist coat, which he always wore over a white shirt and paired with black pants.

After the match, the two walked away from the small café they always ate at on Tuesday afternoons. AS was their routine, they made their way to the park to enjoy a stroll. This was the one time Wilson left his little shack in the woods, in all honesty. No matter what invention or experiment he was working on, he would always make time for his luncheons with her.

Kate was his closest, and really only, friend. They had met while they attended the nearby University. He was studying Chemistry, she, Biology. They both became professors in their field and even worked in laboratories right next to one another at their alma mater.

Wilson, however was released from his position when his experiments were deemed too eccentric for the school board to allow. He was given a chance to bring his studies back to "real science", which he scoffed at. He cursed those "narrow minded fools" and left to prove them all wrong by working in his own lab, which ended up being in the attic of his home.

Wilson's family had also all but disowned him, leaving him friendless, almost penniless, and with little more than his scientific mind and passion to keep him going. Through it all, Kate stood by him and he appreciated her friendship more than anything else. It was rare to see a woman take so naturally to the sciences when they graduated in 1908, but Kate was well respected across the country, despite her continued relationship with a 'crackpot."

The two walked towards a bench, Wilson telling Kate about the new chemical tests he was working on as they sat. He spoke wildly and passionately, emphasizing each word with a gesture of his hand. "It'll work this time, Miss Kate. I know it will." He concluded with a smile.

Kate nodded with a sigh and a worried smile. She hated for him to get so excited, and then have it dashed away. It happened so often to her friend, and it broke her heart when his ideas didn't pan out. "Just… don't get your hopes too high, hm? If it doesn't work, just keep trying, alright?"

Wilson smiled at her. Though her skepticism hurt some, he knew she meant well. He'd show her and everyone that he truly was a genius.

Later that night, Wilson stood at his work bench in the attic of his home, a rundown cottage he purchased after he lost his job as a professor. He stood in the dull room, the floor worn out and dusty, and the walls covered in faded blue wallpaper. By lamplight, he carefully added a green chemical to his concoction. As soon as the droplet hit the surface, the chemicals reacted in an explosion, covering the young scientist's face with smoke and soot. He dropped the test tube on the table in defeat, before walking to his large chair that sat next to a table with a radio on it.

Flopping down and sinking into the cushions, the man sighed heavily. Another failure. Another disappointment. How was he to get ahead in the world of science if every idea he has ends in utter disaster. As he lamented over his latest experiment and what went wrong, he heard a voice chime in from the radio.

"Hey pal. Bad luck with that last experiment." It said. Wilson looked at it closely, his eyes wide in astonishment. "I can help you out. What do you say?"

"I say I have been working too hard…" Wilson said under his breath. Was he really having a conversation with his radio?

"You want to fail at everything you try at your whole life?" The radio asked. "'Course not. I have some secret knowledge I can share with you…. If you are ready for it, that is."

The scientist held the radio in his hands. Figuring this must be a dream, he nodded. "Alright. Show me then." He said. In a flash, images, formulas and schematics flooded his mind, showing a machine that would rival that of all modern technologies. Then, as quickly as it all hit him, it stopped. Wilson set the radio on the table and opened his eyes, a wild smile spreading across his face.

Wilson missed their luncheon the following Tuesday. That wasn't like him. Not at all. Kate was worried that he may have injured himself in an experiment, or was too involved in something to pull himself away. Fearing he would forget to eat, Kate ordered a few baked goods from the café and had them wrapped in a box. She took a cab to the edge of the woods that sheltered Wilson's home from prying eyes. Walking up the dirt trail, she passed the rickety picket fence with the sign that read "Genius at Work." She never knew if he wrote that, or if some kids were playing a joke on him.

Kate walked to the door and knocked. No answer. Seeing light shining from the attic window, where she knew his lab was, she was sure someone was home. She knocked again. Still, no answer. Trying the door knob, she turned the handle and walked in.

Crossing the threshold, she stood in the sitting room, which was as grey, drab and dusty as the rest of the house. Two lone chairs sat in front of a cobweb invested fireplace, indicating no company had visited Mr. Higgsbury in quite some time. She chuckled and called out, "Mr. Higgsbury, are you home?"

Kate heard a scuffle preceded by a thud. She smiled as she heard patter of feet rushing towards the stairs. She stood at the base of the stairs and looked up as a frazzled Wilson came into view.

"Miss Kate. What are you doing here?" He asked. His eyes were dark and he looked exhausted. His hair was frizzed and unruly, which was not normal for him. His clothes were wrinkled and he looked as though he hadn't changed from his normal attire in days.

"It's Tuesday." She said and smiled sadly. "I figured you may have forgotten, so I brought you some lunch." She held the box towards him.

"Oh, Miss Kate, I am so sorry. I must have lost track of time. I… I have been so busy with my work." He said, bringing a hand to his head, embarrassed. He then smiled and took the box. "Thank you for this though."

Kate chuckled. "You're welcome. So, may I see what made my friend miss our date?" She asked and tried to walk up the stairs, past him. Wilson stood in front of her.

"No! No… I'm sorry. Not yet." He said and sighed. "I don't know how safe it is yet. I will need to do a test run before I show anyone. But I promise you will be the first to see it."

Kate nodded. "Alright. Why don't I stop by on Friday. Will that be enough time for the proper tests?" She asked.

"Friday would be perfect. And if you wouldn't mind, I would like to make up for our missed lunch with dinner that evening." He said, smiling again.

Kate nodded. "Alright, Mr. Higgsbury. Friday. Don't forget." She winked and walked down the stairs and to the door. "And please eat what I brought you. It will keep you awake." She said over her shoulder before she left his home.

The next night, Wilson tightened the last bolt to the machine. He stepped back and admired his work, smiling. He hadn't thought much about what it actually did, but he knew it had to be something extraordinary. After all, he got the idea in a dream. Isn't that how all geniuses got their ideas for world changing discoveries?

Wilson walked to the switch, eager to turn it on. As he reached for the lever to give his contraption life, he hesitated. What if it was something that would do harm? What if it was a weapon, or a portal to another dimension that would bring monsters to this world? His hand rested on the lever as he pondered. It wasn't until a voice shouted "DO IT!" from his once silent radio that made him flinch and pull the lever.

Taking a step back, he watched as the metal machine in front of him sparked, popped and whizzed to life. Something didn't seem right to Wilson as he watched in stunned silence. The top of the machines shot upwards towards the ceiling of the attic, giving the top of the metal monstrosity a face-like appearance, as if it were grinning darkly at him.

Wilson took a timid step back before the shadows under his feet transformed into hands. He tried to reach for the lever to cut the power, but he was dragged down into complete darkness, away from his home and into the void.

When the young scientist came to, he was lying in a grassy meadow, among flowers, bees and tall grass. His head was pounding as his vision began to clear. And then he heard a familiar voice. "Say pal. You don't look so good." It said.

Wilson sat up and looked in front of him to see a man in a brown pinstriped suit with a flower in his lapel. The man had a crooked nose, prominent chin and dark, seedy eyes. He put a cigar to his mouth, smiling at him.

"Who are you?" Higgsbury asked. "Where am I? What the hell was that machine?!"

"I would suggest that you don't waste time with questions. It's going to be dark soon and you are going to need a fire." The dapper man said and with a wide grin, sank into the shadows at his feet, disappearing.

Wilson stared for a moment at where the man stood, in shock. He then got to his feet, and looked around. There was not another person as far as he could see in any direction. Taking the man's advice, he quickly started to forge for supplies. Once I am established and have a camp set, I will start to figure out a way out of here. He thought as he gathered wood.