Chapter 1: The Arrival

Ouch!!

What the hell was that... he must have a concussion... maybe he hit his head on the car or something when he fell.

Slowly he pulled himself up out of the grass. GRASS??? Where was all the damn snow???

He sat in the grass and looked out at the jungle, blinked a few times, then closed his eyes. He must have really hit his head, maybe he was having that heart attack or a stroke. Slowly he checked the back of his head with his gloved hands. Everything felt good.

With a slow breath he opened his eyes... still jungle.

He realized everything was blurry... damn I've got a concussion for sure. Reaching up he pulled off the glasses he always wore and everything came into the crystal clear focus. Still jungle.

"What the hell..."

So much light. At first, he thought it was a car's headlights. The prismatic swirl made him doubt that, but maybe some kind of weird refraction through the frost? And where did the music go? Falling. It scared the shit out of him. The inner monologue was gone. There wasn't room for thoughts any more. Only adrenaline-fueled panic. His scream was interrupted by the ground.

AJ bolted upright from the fresh ground beneath. If what occurred before was sensory overload, this was not much better. An unfamiliar environment with many details to take in. His hands were paler... and... thinner? His breathing was... lighter? Why did he sound like that? And why were his clothes so huge? Only one thought could really pierce the haze of feelings he was experiencing.

"What the fuck?"

The voice that came out startled the absolute hell out of him. Panic was returning. He stood up, looking down at himself. Thick winter parka. Red, button-down shirt. Skull pendant still there. He had to reach down to stop his black jeans from falling down. His other hand started patting himself down. The panic stopped. A numbing state of shock set in. The inner monologue returned. I have breasts. Did I have a stroke? It all feels so real. And so hot. Am I dead? Is this an afterlife? I don't know where this is, but it looks like a fantasy movie. He noticed the others then.

"Wh-where are we?"

It didn't really matter that they looked like they didn't know either. It was all he could think to say.

---

She just stood there, her eyes glowing like bright embers and flicking around with concerned observation. A pale-skinned, raven-haired beauty in ill-fitting men's clothing.

Novac simply lay where he'd fallen, waiting for the pain to subside. His eyes remained closed. This isn't going to end well, he thought grimly. The guards must have heard his scream. Being caught with a joint in a dark corner of the prison…that was beyond bad. He'd lose his privileges, and worse, become a laughingstock.
Something felt wrong. Why the scent of grass and flowers? Why was the ground so soft? And why was it so warm?
He heard voices—a man's and…a woman's? Impossible. There were no women in prison.
Novac opened his eyes slowly, then sat up, stunned. "Holy shit, what the hell happened? Where am I?" He stared at the people surrounding him. "Who the hell are you?"

The man dressed in a dark colored North Face coat and an grey winter cap was still sitting in the grass, holding a snow shovel. The remnants of snow melting in the new higher temperature.

As others started standing up, he was initially startled by some strange appearances. He considered panic for a moment, but his brain vetoed the entire situation.

"I'm dead... have to be. Maybe a coma... laying right there in my driveway... yep."

He glanced up at some passing bird and then at those others who had apparently fallen also. They seemed as confused as he was.

Novac, still reeling from the shock, saw the same confusion in the others' faces. He stood, his prison clothes suddenly feeling too small. He seemed to have grown during the fall. His gaze landed on a man covered in what looked like impressive green body paint, like real skin. "Dude," he said, "Wash that off. Heard it causes cancer. But give me the artist's number—Halloween, you know? Does he do Klingons?" He glanced at a pale woman bundled in winter clothes.
It was winter!! They were in trouble. He needed out of the prison garb. Hot enough. He stripped, hiding the clothes. "Those aren't a good idea here," he told the others. "I'm Novac. You guys look like you don't know where we are either?"

AJ listened to the exclamations of the others, watching them intently. It seemed even the green, orc-looking one had no idea where they were. Maybe he's not supposed to look like that either. Despite the surreal visuals of the world around them, his senses were acting much the same. The warm air clung on his previously cold skin. Raising his hand to his forehead, there was a significant heat. Fever? And my hair is straight. No more thick waves. Looking at the smart watch that was no longer snug on his wrist, it displayed no signal. So, this really must be some kind of cosmic joke. Maybe God is real, and he decided to finally change the channel out of boredom. Or I'm dead, having a stroke, or starring in the next Jumanji movie. Would that make me Jack Black?

"We're not us any more. In a world that isn't ours any more."

Still staring at the smart watch, the background displayed was from his engagement a few years ago.

---

The woman slumped against a nearby arch, sinking back down to the floor. The wallet chain hanging from her jeans jingled on the ground. Looking away from her watch, she cast a despondent glare at the jungle beyond.

"Why?"

Her eyes began to glisten.

The man sitting in the grass with a snow shovel glanced at the others. He remembered a line from one of his favorite movies.

"You have the look of a man who accepts what he sees because he is expecting to wake up"

He could almost hear the deep voice in his head. He chuckled to himself.

"I was shoveling snow... slipped on the ice and fell a long, long way to land here."

Pushing the snow shovel away, he slowly removed his gloves and looked at his hands. They looked normal, not the same, but not green like the other guy. Seemed a bit larger than he remembered and lots more calloused than the soft skin of a computer programmer.

"It has to be a dream or something, right?"

"Well, nice to meet you, Al." Novak, now in his underwear, walked over to Al to shake his hand. "To answer your question...I smoked some weed that must have been laced with mushrooms or something. A sort of tunnel appeared; I walked through it, and here I am." Looking around, he continued, "So either I am hallucinating, or this is all real. Either way, this beats prison, so I'm not going to fret about it. I think we should have a look around...maybe we can find something to remedy your skin problem, or you're just my imagination, which means you have nothing to worry about."

Novak looked at the man's with the shovel. "And your name?" Reaching out to shake the man's hand.

"I was just driving home when it happened. Sudden blinding light when I turned to go down the alley. I just wanted to go home. But I just felt like I was falling. Until I landed here."

AJ kept staring into the jungle as he recounted what happened. After a moment, he looked back to the arch they seemingly came through. If there was a way here, then he would just have to find a way back or die trying. Still, this is pure fucking insanity. Multiversal shit... I don't even know what to think anymore.

"I'm... AJ. Since we're all introducing ourselves. And dude, why are you stripping? We're in some kind of fantasy land in the middle of a jungle. Put that jumpsuit back on before some oversized mosquitos bite you in places you can't reach."

---

She stood back up, tightening her belt as much as she could around her waist. Pulling herself free from the parka, it dropped to the ground. Stepping up to the arch that had been glowing, her hands begin to run around its edge, searching for any kind of sign.

"Well, it's nice to meet you, AJ. Now, that just leaves the guy with the shovel." He glanced at the man, who still seemed to be in shock, then turned back to AJ. "I'd rather not be caught by a passing police officer—or anyone, for that matter—who might recognize a prison uniform. Being arrested for escaping without a chance to explain myself isn't appealing. So, I'll take my chances with the mosquito." He smiled at AJ. "You were bigger before you fell through the tunnel, I presume? The way your clothes keep falling off suggests as much."

He had been reaching out his hand to accept Novac's offer "The name's..."

Then a burst from the forest and three armed monkeys rushed them... wtf.

Without thinking, Dalton dropped to a low crouch, in a few quick steps he covered the distance to the first attacker, quick jab to the head followed by a side kick to the midsection...

He immediately felt the bulky winter coat slowing him down as the first strike failed to come close.

Al was in the midst of approaching the rest of the group to introduce himself as they were attacked by the simian creatures. Seeing the man in the winter coat dart forward made Al aware to the danger, and he too turned to face the assailants.

As he raised his hands defensively, he felt a strange crackling sensation between his hands. "Screw it, no time to question it". He let the feeling build until a spark of electricity burst from his hands, arcing towards two of the creatures.

Ah, I don't think he realizes this place isn't our world any more. Well, if something like this is possible, who is to say we even came from the same world? I need to stop thinking so much. Just need to find a way back.

Without any clue as to how this portal worked, AJ let out a sigh that contained his hopes that this would be easy. He pulled his hands back, shaking them and staring at his fingertips. The sensation of magic was mystifying.

"Ah, yeah, you could say that."

---

The shrieks of the ape-like creatures pierced her ears. Fear and adrenaline flooded her veins as she turned to face them. A life or death situation was something entirely foreign. Still, it was a feeling more familiar than the flames inside sending an otherworldly heat through her veins.

Inhale. Exhale. Inhale. Exhale. Each breath was deeper and quicker than last. As the rush reached its apex, the inferno inside took over. Uncontrollably charging forth, AJ screamed, the light in her eyes intensifying as a roar of fire completed the cacophonous eruption.

Novac moves forward to flank the one in combat with Dalton.

Clutching at her own throat and reeling back after the screaming wave of flames, AJ falters back slightly, wide-eyed. Slowly, the sides of her lips curl up into the hints of a grin. Heat, power, and dopamine flowed through her like a drug. Or at least, she would assume this is what drugs felt like. Continuing to ride the high, more searing heat began to pool into her fingertips. With a flourish and snap of her fingers, her arm surges forward at the surviving creature as embers engulf her hand.

Novac moves behind the ast creature standing after AJ did some flaming thing again he attacks with his shiv.

Of we have hero points in would like to use it.

Novak stared, speechless. The Monkey Man was one thing—a bizarre anomaly, perhaps, but something his rational mind could almost accept. But AJ and Al? Breathing fire? Throwing bolts of electricity? That was a whole different level of strange. "Okay," he began, gesturing wildly, "can someone explain what just happened? I was just starting to wrap my head around being here, and then you two pull that?" He turned to the man whose name he'd yet to learn, noticing the cut. "How bad is it?" he asked.

Dalton was breathing heavy as the creatures fell. For a moment he panicked about his asthma and wondered if he had his inhaler, but after a moment he realized that he was not in distress and breathing quickly eased. He looked at the carnage around them. The sleeve of his coat seemed to be smoldering, his coat had a slash in it and he seemed to be bleeding. "I have no idea what happened... I've never been able to do that before."

He glanced at the person next to him which had breathed fire. "That was impressive..."
Dalton looked confused by the question, "What?" he looked at his arm which seemed to have been cut. Maybe he was in shock, he had not noticed that he had been injured. "Damn..."

Pulling off the winter coat, Dalton looks like an impressive athlete, with strong shoulders, arms, and a broad chest. A tight tee shirt has a picture of several Avengers characters and the words "Trust me, I'm a Super Hero" in bold letters.

The cut on his arm seems to be slight, but seeing himself without the bulk of the coat for the first time "Holy crap, I'm ripped."

Breathing heavily, Al looked down to his hands to see if the power he felt earlier remained - but it had already dissipated. "That kind of felt familiar..."

Al snapped back to reality and turned to face the man in the process of taking his winter coat off. He started to walk towards him with a hand outstretched. "Looks like I'm not the only one who's been changed. I'm Al, are you sure that cut is alright?"


Al then addressed Novac and AJ. "I don't know how I summoned electricity, in all honesty I wasn't really sure what was going to happen. It kind of felt like cracking your knuckles. Not sure if you felt the same way, AJ"

Dalton tried to resist, but he just couldn't, he pulled up his tee shirt to glance as his six pack abs. So that's what those were supposed to look like. He smiled like an idiot for a second and then realized someone else had asked about him.

"Sorry, I'm not usually this dense. I think my brain is on overload - can't process it all."

He took a breath, "First I guess, the name's Dalton."

As soon as he said it, it felt wrong and right at the same time. He paused for just a second, like when you try to remember your bank PIN number and its just out of reach or standing at the gas pump with it asking for your zip code. That was it, right. His own damn name should be easy. Everywhere he looked in his memory, the name came up Dalton, but it felt like a Word document where someone did a Find/Replace, and whatever had been there is gone and now it was Dalton.

In the long list of strange life events, that was going to have to sit at the bottom.

Dalton took a hard look at the cut, "Bleeding a little..." he pulled a cloth out of his back pocket and pressed it on the wound. "With a rusty metal I probably need a Tetanus shot." He looked around the jungle "I sincerely doubt there is a 24 hour CVS near by."

He looked around at the stones in the circle around them. "Everyone is obviously different than they were 20 minutes ago. Couple of you have magic, I apparently know karate, and we are now in a jungle being attacked ape men."

Dalton stared at the stones for a moment, "These were glowing when we fell from the sky. Anyone else getting that Dr Strange, multiverse feeling - which has been totally overdone and they need to move on to a new plotline."

After watching the convict in his underwear shank a monkey to death, AJ backs up some while staring down at her hands. Her ragged breathing was coming under some control now. The glow of fire had calmed down now, leaving only this dull white glow around her that didn't seem to leave. Her burning orange eyes seemed out of place amidst the monochrome of her skin, hair, and the light. Briefly snapping out of her stupefied trance, she looks around at the others.

"It's fucking magic, man. We're all different now. Some more than others. I don't know how it works, but that felt amazing. This shit is dangerous. Cracking knuckles? It was more like a euphoric mixture of catharsis and adrenaline being injected straight into my heart. Fuck, I'm hot though."

Sweat was beginning to run down her forehead. The shirt was already showing wetness under her arms. Dalton's mention of Dr. Strange elicits a nod.

"Yeah, you and me are on the same train of thought. Or the Jumanji reboot movies, if you've seen those. We're not in our world any more. I'm not getting any signal on my smart watch either, if that means anything. Anyway, it's nice to meet you guys. I couldn't figure out shit from those archways. Magic somehow, but not a clue as to make it come back. We're gonna have to figure out a different way back."

"Damn ... that sounds really intense, AJ. I felt more grounded, almost like I could hear the hum of the earth." Al furrowed his eyebrows. "I wonder what else we can do."

Al then approached Novak, intent on studying the strange creatures that attacked them. "Whatever's going on, it's good to know we're all capable of defending ourselves."

"Bingo!" Novak exclaimed. "Look what I found! We've got a map." Novak shared his find with the others. "Anyone fancy another field trip?"

Dalton picked up his jacket, but decided he was unlikely to ever need a snow shovel where they were currently. Although given the current temperature, he was not likely to need a winter coat anytime soon either. Dalton also picked up an axe, a dagger, and the belt pouch.

"The boy scout in me is saying we might need some tools if we are caught out here, especially at night. Of course, wilderness survival was 40 years ago and I caught bronchitis, so hopefully we reach that village on the map first."

Dalton ties the belt with pouch around his waste and tucks his newly acquired tools into it.

He looked at Novac, "You sure you don't want to get dressed?"

It had suddenly occurred to Dalton that Novac had admitted to being a criminal and was damn good with that knife. Something to keep an eye on.

"Anyone else wondering about us being ambushed 2 minutes after we got here? These things seemed to be expecting us."

"Yeah, nothing like that for me, Al. It felt like a raw chaos inside. Painful almost before I let it out. I'd wager our powers are probably quite different if our experiences are anything to go by."

AJ walked over to the corpses of the creatures. A different world it may have been, but standing over the bodies of dead things wasn't something she was suddenly used to. Her expression was hard and serious. Leaning down, a dagger made its way into her hand.

"Better to have it and not need it then to need it and not have it. And you never know when you might need a knife. A map is a hell of a find though. Means these things had some measure of intelligence... You gonna store it in your tighty whiteys?"

Seeing Dalton approach, she gave him some space to take things from the dead. A part of her wondered how the others looked before the shift. Had any of them been women? They haven't given any sign of it. Then again, I haven't given any sign that I was a man. I don't know if I feel safe expressing that yet... She left the thought behind. It would have to be something picked up at a time when they weren't at risk of dying in a jungle.

"Well, there's no telling how much light or noise the magic that brought us here gave off. Or even what triggered it, really. Those things might've been attracted by us just showing up."

"Well," Novac replied to Dalton, "since we seem to be in some kind of alternate dimension where monkeys come out of the woods with hatchets and daggers, I think it's safe to say that nobody would recognize prison jumpsuits. So, I guess I can get dressed again. Although, for some reason, they're very tight. If you don't mind, I will take one of those hatchets and a dagger." He looks at the map again. "This is a very crude map, pretty much just pointing us in the general direction. So, what do you guys say? Do we want to follow the map, or do we want to stay here? My vote would be to leave this place before we get any more visitors."

"Hmm, yea we should head out to at least find out where we're going to spend the night."

Al looked down to his own clothing, which consisted of dusty work clothes and an orange construction safety vest. "At the very least, it would be nice to find less ... distracting clothing. In any case, I say we follow the map."

Al wasn't sure why, but he had a feeling that the discovery of the map wasn't a coincidence.

It was difficult to tell looking at Dalton if the tight tee shirt was his normal style or not, hearing Novac's comment. "My clothes are all different also. I'm at least 6 inches taller and 30 years younger as near as I can tell. Even in my twenties I was short and heavy, so nothing like this body."

He stopped for a minute, "Years ago there was a show - "Sliders" I think where the character bounced from world to world, but in each place he inhabited the body of someone else. Maybe something like that has happened. We are borrowing someone else's body and skills.

My money is still on traumatic brain injury and the EMT's are carrying me to the hospital."

Novac smiled at Dalton. "I'm still betting my joint was laced with some kind of mushroom. I don't think I've changed much—maybe I've gotten a little taller. The prison clothes were loose when I got them, but now they're too tight. I don't feel any older, and I don't feel any younger either, but I was pretty young to begin with. Out of all of us, I seem to have changed the least." Novac didn't want to mention that he previously wouldn't have even known how to hold that shiv correctly. He had never owned a weapon. He was a burglar and a thief. His line of defense had always been to run.

Dalton looked around at all the trees. Thank whatever fate this was that this dream body did not come with asthma and other problems of his real one. He would have passed out long ago - of course ironically he probably was passed out in a hospital some where.

"I don't remember dreams being this hard... although I used to have nightmares of giant spiders in my bedroom, so I keep looking for that."

He looked around at the trees - "Don't suppose anyone was carrying a compass? Are we lost you think? We probably need to start worrying about clean water."

"I keep hoping this might be dream. But in the worst case scenario that it’s not, looking for clean water is a good idea."

"Trees like these might have moss or fungi that could tell us something…"

"There’s that feeling again. I can’t tell where my legs end and the earth begins."

Al stopped walking and focused on the flora, which seemed to be shifting around him. "They’re going to think I’ve lost my mind. Shit, I’m not even sure myself.

"C-can you hear me? We’re lost, and looking for a settlement somewhere north of this area. If you understand me, give me a sign."

Al turned to face the group, one hand palming his forehead. "Alright, trying not to freak out right now but I just heard the plants speak to me, and I mean that literally."

He then gestured towards the path indicated by the undergrowth.

"Seems like we’re on the right track. I’ll admit I have no way of knowing if I’m right, but it’s the best we’ve got for now."

Al lowered his arm, staring once again at his now-green hands.

"If this is a dream, now would be a good time to wake up. If this isn’t … please don’t let me be wrong. They’re all counting on me."

"The plants speak to me too, but usually have to smoke them first" The joke fell flat even to Novak, so he added, "Weird as it sounds, I actually believe you. At this point, I wouldn't be surprised if the trees woke up and started talking, like some cheesy Amazon Prime remake of Lord of the Rings," he said, a worried expression on his face. He was beyond questioning whether he was high. This was serious. The exhaustion, the sweat, the thirst—all too real. They desperately needed to find the town, water, or shelter. Novak turned to Al. "Can the plant tell you how far the town is? Or where we can find water? We're all pretty dehydrated after walking so long in this heat."

Dalton looked at the green man, well kind of a man, maybe something out of Lord of the Rings. Maybe he was like swamp thing or something.

He shakes his head, smiling broadly, "Can't believe I'm saying this, but you talking to plants might not even make the top 10 of strange stuff that's happened today."

With a shrug, "I'm almost blind in here - so your direction is as good as any. I can't believe you can see anything - and AJ glowing - which is on that list of unusual things somewhere."

As the group traveled, AJ would periodically rub her jaw, arms, and neck. Even my skin feels different. At one point, the sleeve on her right arm is torn by some shrubbery. A hint of blue appears from beneath. Rolling up her sleeve some, there is a scaly, demonic-looking tattoo sleeve encompassing her arm. The armor plates of ink on her forearm are highlighted with blue. I guess not everything has changed.

The darkness of the jungle would have unnerved her if she wasn't different now. Being able to see in it helped, but there was also a part of her that felt more comfortable with it now. The dim glow around her helping the others was quite convenient for them, at least.

"Why'd you have to go and mention spiders? I hate spiders. Who knows what kind of shit is in this jungle? I feel itchy everywhere now. As if being sweaty and tired as hell ain't enough."

Watching Al stop to talk to plants threw her off for a moment before she remembered that there was all manner of crazier things done before that moment. Hearing Novac mention water caused her to start vigorously nodding in agreement.

"Yes, water, please. And sorry, I'd make myself brighter if I could. The only way I can think of making more light is to set something on fire. Or burn through the battery on my phone by turning the flash on. Not sure how long that would last."

Seeing the giant shadows of insects scurry out of the gloom as if summoned by Dalton's comment.

"Son of a bitch... I'm sorry if that's my fault."

Usually this was the point where he would wake up, flying out of bed as the giant insect descended on him. That did not seem to be happening at the moment.

Part of his brain wanted to scream, wanted to wake up - but another part was already shifting his stance as the insects approached, judging the distance, muscles tensing - taking over.

Dalton raced forward to strike the nearest insect, then stepped back to give him some room and not be swarmed by them.

Dalton - "AGH!!!"

Novak seing how the spider like creatures are trying to suck blood stay away from melee range. Moves within 10 feet of them and then throws the Hatchet. How did he know how to do this ?

Al watched the giant tick latch itself onto Dalton.

"Dalton!"

Instinctively, Al rushed forward without a plan. He felt the same feeling when he summoned lightning, and knew his magic was activating. He raised his arm and power surged through it, sharpening Al’s nails into claws.

The tick ripped through his jeans and leeched onto his leg, the pain was intense. 'This dream officially sucked... and an bad pun too...WTF"

A well of energy opened within Dalton and he grabbed at it desperately. Lines of force swirled down his arms, surrounding his fists as he pounded at the tick which bit his leg.

The sight of the skittering parasites made AJ's skin crawl. Between the sticky heat, humidity of the jungle, and now these things, she wanted to be sick. Until she saw one of them bleeding Dalton.

"Get the fuck off of him!"

AJ rushed forward, bearing a blazing gout of fury in her fist.

"I hate this place."

AJ watches Dalton, taking notice of the blood continuing to pour out. Her hand comes to rest on the back of her head, staring at it with concern. That heat is building up again. Different somehow.

"Hang on, I think I can do something?"

The questioning tone voiced her own uncertainty, but her instincts acted for her. She inches forward, reaching out to his wound. An ethereal yellow-orange glow emanated from her hand. Wisps of flame licked harmlessly at his puncture and laceration. It did not burn. It was a comforting, purifying heat. The injuries faded in its presence.

Novac rundown over to Dalton and tries to stop the bleeding cutting pieces from his prison clothes as makeshift bandages.

"I thought we had a tick problem back home," Novak said, attempting a lighter tone despite the grim situation. Looking at Dalton, he added, "Try not to charge into too many situations here, my friend. I know it must feel great to do all that kung fu stuff, but you're not invincible, and I'd hate to lose you."

Just when Dalton was about to panic concerning the deep gash in his leg, AJ stepped forward and healed him. The vibrant power flooded into him, pushing away all the pain he had suffered so far.

He looked at AJ as the pain melted away, "Thank you. I thought maybe I'd loose that leg after that. Hopefully I won't be adding Lyme to my Tetanus."

Dalton slowly wipes off the combination of tick and his own blood, which was revolting on multiple levels. There was still a separated feeling, like this was a dream, it just did not make any sense at all. Maybe a VR first person video game - he was here, but he was also not here.

He shook his head slowly, responding to Novac, "Better me than you, right? he laughed weakly. "I don't know - my normal reaction would be to scream and run, I'm really not that brave, never been a dare devil or anything. But its like a reflex - I don't know its more than muscle memory - this guy - whoever I am now - just goes for it."

Dalton looked at his slightly cleaner hands - "I don't know what that last bit was - felt like I could have punched through a wall - mostly desperation."

"I could definitely use a drink - Al can the plants tell you where some fresh water is?"

"I don't think anyone should die here," Novak said, his gaze darting nervously around. "We'll find a way out. First, we need water, then we need to find that town. We have daylight now, and I definitely don't want to be out here after dark."

Novac calls over the rest of the party showing them the stream.

"You're welcome. It's great to see this fire can do more than incinerate things."

AJ smiles and gives a Dalton a slap on the back before following after Novac. Arriving at the stream, she bends down to splash some into her face before drinking from it.

"Oh god yes. This'll hopefully get us the rest of the way to that town. Hopefully they're friendly?"

Dalton laughed, "I won't lie, I was worried that was going to be one of those "cauterize" burn it shut moments. Glad it turned out different. He pulled up the leg of his torn jeans, "Damn - doesn't even look like a scar." He then removed the bandage on his previous cut to see that wound was also healed. "Good as new apparently."

As the stream was found, Dalton moved to a spot down stream, soaked his previous bandage and washed the remnants of the tick off, trying to keep most of the gunk out of the water. "Too bad none of us was backpacking with a tent and canteen."

A little cleaner, Dalton moved back upstream to get a fresh drink.

After drinking his fill and eyeing the monkeys suspiciously, Novak said, "If everyone's ready, we should move on. I don't want to cause alarm, but I don't trust those monkeys."

"As long as we’re not on their turf, I think it should be fine."

Al said that automatically, tuning back into the conversation he had been absentmindedly following along with.

"Cmon Al, gotta stay focused!"

"I appreciate you finding the stream, Novak. Lets us clear our heads.

That healing was definitely impressive, AJ. Just so you all know, I think I can also use the earth to help with any wounds."

Taking a long drink, Dalton sat back for a moment, ran his wet hands through his hair. "Good to know Al - I have a feeling we might need it - or at least I will. I used to know a lot of first aid, but not much to do with sticks and dirt.

It would be nice to reach the village without something else trying to eat us. We should definitely keep going as long as we can."

Dalton stood up and appeared ready to leave once everyone was ready.

"Yeah, I was worried about burning you as well, to be honest haha. But it was weird. Something just told me it would be okay. And it's good to hear we've got someone else with healing ability too! I don't think I can do that an unlimited amount of times."

In tandem with Novac, AJ also glanced at the monkeys after cleaning herself up some.

"It sounds like we're all on the same page though. As much as I'd like to crash, we need to keep going. My feet are killing me. These shoes were not meant for the jungle."

The HeyDudes she is wearing have just as many snags and holes as her shirt now does. They are also soaked completely through by mud and jungle moisture.

"Ah shit ," Novak muttered, slowly dropping his hatchet and raising his hands. "I knew those monkeys were trouble." He hissed to the others, "We're done for." Then, addressing the strange, pointy-eared man, he said, "We mean no harm."

Dalton raised his hands in the universal symbol of 'I surrender, please don't hurt me'

"It is possible they are from the village we are headed to."

He also looked at the figures with the bows. "We are lost and looking for some help?"

While his hands were up with no weapon, he knew that he did not need one and that several of his new friends seemed to have magic which also did not rely on a weapon. Should things go badly, they might still be able to hold their own, but those bows could do a lot of damage quickly and they were easily outnumbered.

Novac, keeping his hands up just to be safe, says, "You can say that again." He looked at the man and continued, "You're right, we don't belong here. Wherever 'here' is. We woke up at that temple area; we don't even know each other. We're just looking for a village or something to find out where we are and find our way home."

Hands immediately went up, just like the others. Although this new body with new talents might be more adept at dealing with dangerous situations, the only thought that bubbled up in AJ's mind was that of a single arrow finding itself in her neck or eye. What a joke it would be to get teleported to a fantasy land with magical powers just to die from a stray arrow... She would nod in agreement as the others declared the group's desire for help and pure intentions. Seeing the bowstrings go lax and respect given from what she presumed was their leader allowed her breaths to escape more easily.

"What he said. We're not from here, and we have no idea how we got here. I'd offer a mutual bow of respect, but I'm afraid my legs might give out if I try. We just want to find a way out of this dangerous jungle and potentially get back home. Which for me, is a place called Indiana."

"Our intentions are peaceful, and I think I speak for all of us when I say that all we seek is a way home." Novac looked around for his companions to agree.

Al nodded in agreement with Novac.

He turned to bow to Jashi.

"Thank you, Jahsi. We would be honored to meet with your daughter. I am Al, of the ... er ... suburban clan."

Al managed to stifle a groan. "Why was that the only thing I could think of?"

Dalton slowly lowered his hands as things relaxed. He let the others do the talking as they were pretty much saying what needed to be said. He was just happy not to get anymore blood on his already ripped clothing.

With a couple of blinks and an amused expression on her face, AJ glanced over at Al.

I'm not sure how I would begin to express where I'm from, but that certainly isn't it. Either way, this is very good. Good ol' fantasy land hospitality. Unless this is some kind of trap and they're actually cannibals or something... Why did I have to have that intrusive thought? Maybe because of those creepy black eyes.

Her arms slowly dropped to a neutral posture as she let out a heavy sigh.

"Yeah, we don't mean harm to anyone, especially people showing us precious hospitality. We are as unfamiliar with your lands as you are ours, so I'm sorry for our ignorance in advance."

It's not long after the group begins following the Ekujae closely that AJ is already panting again. I didn't have very good stamina before the change either. Finally arriving at their destination, she rests her hands on her knees before looking up at the tree village in awe. This was easily the more wondrous than anything she had ever seen in the world before. Another intrusive thought in the back of her mind nagged at her. I come into this world as some kind of pyromancer only for the first civilization to literally be made of trees. That's not uncomfortable at all. Fortunately, she's distracted from the line of thinking by the greetings of the staff-wielding elf.

"I'm AJ..." With both people introducing themselves as of some clan or another, I'm starting to feel naked in these introductions. Maybe I should be AJ of the Flame or something? I feel like that sounds goofy. "Thank you and your people so much for having us here. Your lands are beautiful, although harsh to those unprepared to find themselves here. We are lucky that Jahsi found us. Would you happen to be the daughter he mentioned?"

"Nice to meet you, Nketiah. So, where do we come from? I can tell you one thing: it's not here. Some of us aren't even what we were. We found ourselves waking up in what looked like a temple. After talking, we discovered we'd each been taken from our own worlds, pulled through some kind of tunnel. We not only arrived in a completely alien world, but we all seem to have changed, some more drastically than others." Novac paused, taking in the scenery. "As beautiful as it is, I, for one, want to find a way home."

Dalton moved along easily with the hunters, no sign of the asthma or allergies which plagued him in his real life as they covered miles of jungle. Despite the strange new world and leaving everything behind, this dream had some advantages. Remembering the giant tick which tried to chew his leg off, there were definitely drawbacks as well. He wondered if his body still laid in the driveway - or even if time was passing or this was just a dream played out in an instant.

"Golarion?? I've never heard of that. Is that the name of your country or your world?"

Dalton looked up at the tree village. Definitely something right out of one of his fantasy novels.

"OK I guess we ha e to go up" Novac says smiling as he goes to follow their hosts. And immediately falls on his bum. "I must be more tired than I thought i was. Let's try that again."

Dalton watched their hosts disappear into the trees. He was distracted by something they said. "Anyone else surprised that she just casually accepted that we dropped out of the sky from another world?"

Watching Novac fall a couple of times. "I wonder if they have an elevator for us fat people..." he paused for a second and then laughed "I guess I have to stop saying stuff like that. Still - would be more welcoming I think if there were some stairs."

He looked at the branches for a moment longer - then gave it a try - bounding up the tree, grabbing a couple of branches - and swinging up.

"I've never seen anything like it, this place is amazing."

Al introduced himself to Nketiah and the rest of her kinsman as they began climbing the trees.

"Wait up! I have a lot of questions about this Golarion."

Novac glanced at Dalton, a flush rising on his cheeks. "I'm usually much better at this," he admitted, a hint of frustration in his voice. "Back home, this sort of thing never happened. It's practically what I do." Strange world, he thought, the unfamiliar sights and sounds pressing in on him. Strange people. Golarion, their home for the foreseeable future, at least. It was a lot to process.

"Not unpredented? A feast in our honor? I- Okay, I guess?"

Her face contorted with bewilderment at the explanation from the proclaimed master of knowledge. Somehow, the fact that people would host a feast for her simply showing up felt more unbelievable than screaming fire or being teleported to another world.

"Nah, this is definitely weird. I keep waiting for some dramatic shoe to drop, but watch the universe laugh at me as I'm forced to live out the rest of my days here uneventfully."

After blinking a few times and getting her bearings again, AJ looks over at Novac.

"Maybe we can give each other a lift? Would be awkward for one of us to get stuck down here."

"Let me see if there is something up here to help..."

Dalton being the only one who had so far made the climb looked around from his vantage to see if there was any rope ladders or ropes to lower down to the others. He also looked for any place which looked easier or a place where he could reach down to help grab someone and pull them up.

Novac, having recovered from his initial embarrassment, glanced in surprise at the clothes laid out for him. "This is odd," he remarked. "I was already taken aback by how readily they accepted our story, but I figured, 'Magic and similar things...they must have encountered it before.' But now, they've provided clothes for us already." He scanned the room. "It's as if they were expecting us." Or, he mused, perhaps they're the ones who brought us here. He quickly washed, dressed, and exited his room to explore.

The mocking smiles didn't bother AJ much. It must have been a funny sight to people who likely learned to climb these trees alongside learning how to walk. She was just excited at the prospect of sitting down with some sense of security. Then again, can I ever feel secure again after being casually ripped from one universe and sent to another?

"It's a weird world with weird creatures and likely weird people in it. I'll just take what comforts I can get so that I hopefully won't miss the ones I don't have any more as much."

Her tone was somber, but she pushed herself into a room to try not going down that rabbit hole of thought. Sitting down on the bed, her eyes lingered on her hands once more. Normally, the quiet solitude would only allow her thoughts to run rampant, but the hands that felt so different than before provided plenty of distraction. They reached up, sliding along her cheeks and moving to her scalp. One thing remained in her mind: the reflection she saw in the river water of the Mwangi Jungle. There was no mistaking it.

I'm beautiful.

Her hands slid back into view, pulsing with heat.

I'm powerful.

Her eyelids fell, masking the room with darkness. In that meditative silence, the warmth grew in her chest.

I may be going back, but who's to say I shouldn't revel in how wonderful I've become? This is me. And who I am right now makes me feel like I could sprout wings and fly. I will make the most of this.

Opening her eyes again, a shadow on the floor greeted her. Contrasting her new, lithe form, that blot of darkness was a more masculine, heavier figure. Staring back at her, wings stretched out to either side of it. A delighted grin stretched on to her face. After washing up and donning the fresh clothes, AJ sauntered out of her room to join the others. The crumpled pile of fabric from the other world stayed behind.

Dalton was happy to take advantage of a chance to wash up. He had managed to get most of the tick blood off of him at the stream, but he still felt rather disgusting. His jeans might be a total loss, but since new clothes had arrived for him, he supposed it was not too bad. He had always been self conscious about cloths, he supposed he did not need to be as concerned any more. His current form seemed to be one of those bastards which looked good in anything.

It seemed strange though. The only thing which remained of the other world was his clothes and the few items he had carried with him. If he removed those and dressed in clothes from this world, what would that leave him? Would he now entirely be Dalton - buff, strong, martial arts guy. What would happen to the old fat guy he still thought himself to be?

He held his tee shirt in front of him for a long time - the faded image of the Avengers - the words "Trust Me, I'm a Super Hero". It had always been kind of a joke since he was far from anything resembling a super hero. Maybe now he was - he certainly looked more the part than ever before. Strong, handsome, athletic... he had bounded up the tree with the ease of a gymnast. Was that who he would be in this dream world.

Dalton folded his things carefully, putting them on the table. He kept his phone, turned off though it was, as he dressed in the provided clothing. Despite the promised feast, Dalton was hungry, so he helped himself to the fresh fruit on the table.

Finally as ready as he thought he might be, he left the room to look around the tree city. If this was a dream, it was amazing. If it was not, well he had no idea what to do if it was not.

After a well-needed wash, Al touched his face, shocked to learn he had small tusks on the corners of his mouth.

There was no mirror in the room, but Al got the gist of the changes to his body. He ran his fingers through the parts in his hair, which was braided and interlocked with a few carved stones.

"Green skin, tusks … I’m like an orc! But why? They’re not usually the good guys in any movie I’ve seen."

"And this connection, this pull I feel to the earth. It’s almost overwhelming! But it feels amazing, even comforting."

Al changed into the clean clothes, neatly folding his construction garb. He took a moment to appreciate the sheer insanity of the situation, and then left to meet up with the rest of the group.

As he and the others emerged from their rooms, washed and slightly refreshed, Dalton looked around the vast trees overhead.

"Well we all clean up pretty well. I will admit that I was not looking forward to sleeping on the ground, especially after that bug tried to eat me."

As he looked around, he was reminded of the various scenes from Lord of the Rings movies. "It's right out of a movie. I still keep expecting to wake up."

Novac faced Dalton, his voice tight. "Right out of a movie. That's right. Rooms ready, clothes fit perfectly, they simply accepted our story. They knew we were coming." He let his gaze linger on the scene in front of him. "We're being set up. And I don't take kindly to it."

Seeing Novac and Dalton chatting, AJ stepped in to give her own two cents. Her shadow followed after her, content with mimicking her movements in the light. Not matching her form, it stood out like a sore thumb.

"I wasn't looking forward to sleeping on the ground either, but being able to literally kill it with fire is making things more tolerable. At this point, whether I'm fucking dead, dying, or in the center of some cosmic fuck-up, I'm just going with it. It's not in my control. Y'know what is in my control? Getting comfortable and burning shit. Whether they knew we were coming or not, they could've just shot us with arrows. They didn't. So let's experience some good ol' Golarion hospitality while they explain everything they know."

A part of her wondered exactly what they were stepping into, but the majority of her just wanted to go do something. This world changed her into something that exhilarated her, and she wanted to continue riding that high.

Novac stepped aside a bit so he would face both Dalton and AJ. "I apologize for the outburst. It's just that..." He paused for a moment, considering his words. "I have some experience with being pushed into situations where the outcome was negative." Turning to AJ, he said, "If you don't mind me asking, what did you do before we arrived here? Dalton mentioned he was an IT guy, Al seemed to have worked in construction... I've only seen you in oversized clothes. You don't have to say anything, of course. I'm just curious."

Dalton listened to AJ as she expressed her new love for fire - a pyromaniac was born. Hopefully that did not come back to burn them, literally.

To AJ, "You have a good point. Whatever this is - we should make the best of it. But Novac - caution is also a good thing. Definitely should not always just accept what we are given. We will see what they can tell us about what has happened."

Dalton grew quiet, curious as if AJ would answer Novac's question.

Al was leaning, tuning into the conversation as he examined the village around them.

"I'd say Dalton has the right of it, this is definitely a dangerous place. I'm not an especially spiritual person by any means, but I'm starting to think that our new abilities and being brought here were not mistakes."

In any case, I know you're all from Earth and based on our scrap earlier with those creatures, I know I can trust you. Let's take things one step at a time and trust our new powers."

Dalton smiled, "I suppose we should have confirmed we are all from Earth... I'm from east coast USA around Baltimore. Unless we are doing that comic book multiverse crap and I'm earth 8675309 and your some other wild ass number. That's already making my head hurt, so one Earth for now - and this new place."

He looked around at the massive tree platform they were standing on. "Kidnapped from our world, brought here, given new powers and new bodies... definitely something out of a book. What was that book - 'Lion, Witch, and the Wardrobe' - a talking Lion shows up - well at this point I wouldn't be all that surprised."

Novac grinned, "Well, I'll take your word for it regarding the new bodies. Except for Al, of course; he would have been in the news back home. As for myself, I haven't changed much, perhaps grown an inch or two. I examined my reflection in the stream and can confirm that I am essentially the same. Also, I don't feel any hidden superpowers rising with me." With that, Novac turned to AJ again awaiting her response to his question."

AJ furrowed her brow with confusion as Novac apologized.

"Huh? You don't have anything at all to be sorry for, dude. We're in crazy land. Apprehension is a totally normal response. I wouldn't call that an outburst. I'm just trying to cope differently. And that's not to say I'm gonna go do some crazy shit without thought, I'm just trying to go with the flow a little bit since well... we don't really have a lot of options right now. And this body and powers I've got are kinda fucking awesome."

She smiled and looked back down at herself, swaying back and forth slightly. Looking back up to the others, she noticed Dalton and Novac waiting for an answer to the second part of what was said.

"Oh, I was a high school English teacher. Southern Indiana. I also did bartending on the weekends, which is why I was wearing what I was when we got here. I'd say this body is actually about as different for me as Al's is."

There weren't any qualms with being honest... mostly. She still didn't feel the need to be forthright about her sex or gender from before the shift.

"So, a teacher, construction worker, IT guy, and a criminal to round it all out," Novac said, pointing at each of them in turn. "Seems as random as it gets. But maybe I'm still thinking too much in our old world terms. Let's hope they call us soon for the banquet so they can tell us what they want from us."

Novak was a little surprised at how happy everyone seemed to be with the changes within them. He found it scary how he assessed everyone for weak points in their armor and how he knew where to hit to make it hurt. He had never used weapons and now he instinctly knew how to use them.

Dalton smiled at how enthusiastic AJ was with her powers. Perhaps they should all consider being a little less reserved about embracing the changes. He had never been a 'jump in with both feet' kind of person.

"Embrace the unknown for as long as it lasts - not my normal - but nothing about this is normal. You might have a point."

Al nodded along to AJ's words, resonating with her excitement.

"I can't lie, it is pretty awesome."

Al then chuckled at Novac's evaluation of the group.

"We sure are an interesting mix ... I'd like to think that's an asset though. There might be things we know that they don't."

"I know how to write a ton of C# code... not useful any time soon, but if we find a terminal to the Matrix - maybe." he smiles broadly as he looks around the forest platform.

Novac hadn't realized how hungry he was until the smell of the food hit his nostrils. The questions he had meant to ask were temporarily forgotten as he partook in all the food he was being offered.

The bonfire at the heart of this place was unexpected. A part of her had wondered how much of a risk fires were to Akrivel, but AJ trampled through the humid jungle enough to know that it might be less than she expected. Feeling the heat, hearing the crackling of burning wood, and basking in its glow filled her with a sense of peace. Taking in the sights around her, the joy of the Ekujae was clearly infectious. Smiling and finding a seat at the head table, her eyes lit up even more at the food. She, too, would allow herself to forget her questions while gorging herself upon meat, nuts, and wine.

"This is magical. I'm not sure if I could feel more welcome than this."

Dalton was definitely hungry and he enjoyed the food which was provided, watching the fire and the entertainment provided. It certainly was as magical as AJ had mentioned.

"Definitely... I agree."

As much as he tried to embrace the moment, to go with the flow, an itch at the back of Dalton's mind whispered 'too good to be true...'

Dalton kept his eyes open, waiting for the catch to all the hospitality. Like waiting for the salesman to show up and pressure them into buying a timeshare.

Hearing the music and laughter in the background, Al smiled as he stared at the settlement around them.

"This is ... fascinating. So different, yet strangely recognizable. I wonder what amazing feats these people are capable of."

Al began to eat, thanking the Ekujae as they served.

Having satisfied herself enough momentarily to consider speaking about things, AJ looks over to Nketiah while still sipping on wine.

"So, us showing up is worth throwing this big party for. That means y'all have expectations for us, right?"

The southern twang crept out of her mouth now as she got comfortable. In earnest, she was hoping to hear that the answer was yes. Get brought to a fantasy world to be some big fantasy hero? That's like getting to live out my own epic.

Novac looked at each of his new friends in turn, seeing their happy faces and hearing the excitement in their voices. He realized at that moment that going back home to their old lives was the farthest thing on their minds. He realized that, out of all of them, he had changed the least, and he was the only one concerned about the changes he had observed in himself. Granted, being out of prison was a nice respite, but being attacked by monkey people and giant ticks was not something he enjoyed. The others seemed to have forgotten all about that. He finished eating and leaned back to let their captors answer AJs question.

Dalton was finishing a bite of bread when AJ asked the question. Exactly what he had been thinking, it was fine to be celebrated, but celebrating this much almost seemed religious. "Queue the talking lion..." he whispered to himself.

"Ha, well I'm glad to hear that stuffing our faces with your food made us seem more trustworthy. We're struggling to take things at face value since everything is alien to us here, but a man lost in the desert must take what water he is offered. Or something like that. A quote from a book I read recently."

AJ follows after Nketiah to the meeting chamber, waving farewell to the other Ekujae from the feast. The event and the seemingly honest response did a lot to relax her. However, leaving behind the bonfire for the quiet room allowed her thoughts to wander briefly. What should I even expect them to say?

Her brow furrowed with focus as the linguist now began to pour with answers. Aiudara... they must be our way back home. Us being rare arrivals was about what I expected though. Once the word "god" fell from Nketiah's lips, AJ's eyes began to widen. Soon after, her lips parted as her jaw dropped. And then, the corners of her mouth rose into an open, bewildered smile. That's fucking badass, holy shit. What is this? Elden Ring? Is this the Shattering? Her instinct was to voice these clearly inappropriate thoughts, but her limited filter managed to stop her. Instead, a grunting cough sputtered out as she cleared her throat and tried to retake control of her body language. Still, the excitement in her eyes was hard to miss.

"Heroes it is then."

Looking to see the response of the others, her smirk was still not so well-contained. Seize divine fragments from the Godsrain... Become as gods. Really not contained at all.

Novac crossed his arms as the story was told. Fallen gods? Fragments falling from the sky? Someone heavily borrowed from Greek mythology. His ears perked up when Nketiah mentioned people leaving through the gates they came in from. When AJ mentioned heroes, he had to laugh. He quickly apologized. "I am sorry. I mean no disrespect. I am sure the recent events were traumatizing for the inhabitants of your world. It is hard for me to believe in fallen gods, since I am hardly spiritual where I come from. The biggest question for me is, how can we leave this place? Again, I mean no disrespect, but the way you are telling the story doesn't give us the slightest hint of what you want us to do. I want to go home, so what do you want me to do to get me home?" Novac intentionally used "me" as he wasn't so sure that the others still wanted to go home.

"We're in a fantasy land with new bodies that shit magic and you find it hard to believe gods exist here? This isn't about being spiritual or religious any more. Shit, the fact that we're seemingly in some different universe introduces so many cosmological questions about the nature of reality. And as for getting back home, they probably don't know. Why else would they still be here? Who says they even want us to do anything?"

AJ was quick to fire off as if Nketiah wasn't even there. Her mind raced with possibilities and bewilderment at the wonder of the world they ended up in. This is pure insanity. Nothing we knew about anything matters much any more. Fuck, if only one of us was a scientist. That'd be hilarious. A part of her was certain that the only way back would be divine intervention. The Godsrain seemed like an opportunity to take that matter into their own hands.

Dalton listened closely to the story, which made no sense to his normal reality, but in a place where his companion was breathing fire, it left room for belief.

He shrugged to AJ's while looking at Nketiah. "Although it was not spoken, I'd say that the story heavily implied that the new arrivals would signal someone to help with the current situation. You said it yourself, 'Heroes', which indicates something heroic must be done."

Dalton paused with a sigh, "If some of us had not already been doing 'magic' I'd probably say you have a freak meteor shower hitting your planet. Rocks fall from the sky all the time."

He looked at Nketiah, "A god dies - some strangers show up from another planet - so now what? How can a few mortals help where a god has died?"

Al reflected on Nketiah's words.

"Nketiah, as the others mentioned, would you be able to use your gate to return us to our own world? In these stories about the others who were brought from their worlds, were any of them able to make it back?"

"Godsrain ... what are we getting into"

Al pitched in the group's conversation with a tense expression.

"If we assume Nketiah is telling the truth about all this god stuff, which I would, then it's best we get home quick before we get involved with something worse than those creatures we saw."

Dalton was absently tapping his finger on the table, "I guess that is the root question... embrace our potential roll in this or try to avoid it. Assuming that would be even possible."

Called it.

"That's very generous of you and your people. The altruism the Ekujae have displayed since our arrival won't be forgotten. For me, I have loved ones to return to. Hopefully we will learn more about our way home at this Nantambu. Whether it's knowledge or one of those divine fragments that is the key home, we'll seize it. Right, guys?"

AJ looked to the others with a frown. With Nketiah's answers out of the way, the reality of the situation was finally starting to hit.

There really is no certainty that I'll ever see home again. I'm going to try my best, but it's so hard to believe that I can go through all of this to actually go back at the end. And what? Live out the rest of my days with my memories from here? A secret I take to the grave or be labeled insane? God, I'm going to need so much more therapy.

Her mind started to envision what their long trek to Nantambu might look like. Then, what could be required after. Suddenly, she felt very tired. Her shadow began to curl up in a corner. Anxiety started gnawing at her guts.

"Arbiters of our destinies."

She repeated Nketiah's words, trying to throw kindling on her weakening internal flame more than encourage the others. Submerging one's self in the comforting blaze of vanity wasn't always easy.

Dalton sat quietly for a moment, then responded quietly, perhaps his mind still working through some things. "Well said AJ - thank you Nantambu. You owed us nothing - it was kind of your people to aid strangers."

The muscled warrior nervously worked on a finger nail, finally folding his hands together in front of him. "I do not see that we have many options - we've come through a one way door as far as we know. Our best hope is to find someone who knows more about how we got here. A magic school may be the best hope."

How many times had he watched Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings, Conan - countless other fantasy stories. Fallen gods - powerful magics - it was insane to think what they might come up against in this place.

If it was even real...

In a whispered voice, mostly to himself "There is no spoon..." perhaps that would be his new mantra.

Novac, in agreement with AJ and Dalton, also thanked Nketiah. "Thank you for providing us with a meal and the information. I apologize for my harsher tone earlier; it was spoken more out of desperation than anger. Any aid you can give us will be repaid, when and if we can." Turning to his new companions, he added, "Well, we're stuck with each other for a while longer. So, if you don't mind traveling with a guy who generally sees the bad in everything and everybody, I am your man." Looking at Dalton, he added with a smile, "Also, our Jackie Chan here needs someone to keep him from running headlong into any fight that might present itself."

Dalton smiled at Novac's comment and shakes his head. "What can I say - apparently my only new skills are punching things. Maybe I'll hang back and AJ can just incinerate everything."

He glanced at the woman who was a growing pyromaniac. "My guess is on this long journey to - what was it the Song Wind city - we will run into a few things. We'll probably have to figure out how to fight together. Only fights I was in before this was high school bullies. Seems this body knows a lot more than that."

He drifted off for a moment, glanced down at the hand, which was not his own, then continued. "I'm still trying to figure it out... I'm me, but I'm also this guy. I feel like I keep pulling out movie references, maybe I watch too much TV.

In the Bourne movies, he looses his memory, but he remembers how to do all this fancy stuff. Feels a bit like that I guess - I remember my whole normal life - but I glance at Novac here and I suddenly can think of ten different holds to break his arm - I sprang up the tree like an Olympic gymnast - I'm pretty sure I can do a one armed handstand." he shook his head again - it felt like a jumble at times with odd things encroaching into his bland normal life.

He looked at AJ again, who had done the most amazing things so far. "And what you have done so far - real magic - healing my leg - I'm not sure I'm going to get used to seeing that."

"If it's any consolation Dalton, it's good that we're all going through the same thing."

"Makes it a lot less scary."

Thinking of the journey ahead, Al approached Nketiah.
"I hope we can learn what to expect on the journey ahead. The jungle was dangerous enough getting here!"

Dalton raised an eyebrow at Nketiah's comments, "Not selling the trip very well... guess its good to know what is in front of us. Despite our new potential abilities - I can't say that sounds fun." Perhaps there was more to be said, but Dalton grew quiet.

If it was a dream, it did not matter, he would wake up eventually. If not, he was not sure they would survive to reach where ever it was they were going.

"Nketiah, thank you for your generous offer. While I'd love to stay longer, we really need to move on. If you don't mind, we should get some rest and aim for an early start tomorrow. Could you provide us with a map, and perhaps point out any friendly settlements we might reach by nightfall? We'd greatly appreciate it."
Novac glanced at the group and whispered, "Here's the problem: we don't know how time flows here compared to our world. If it's the same, I'm likely a wanted fugitive by now. It won't be a dramatic manhunt, mind you—I'm just a thief. I might make the evening new though" Nivac smiled at the thought of that. "But this could add years to my sentence. My best hope is that time moves faster here. But regardless, we need to reach our destination by the most direct route possible."

Dalton's remarks on her powers fed the flame. It was a welcome distraction, allowing the anxiety to pass. The frown on her face quickly dissipated, converting to something more subtle and smug.

"You're right, figuring out how to fight together will be crucial. As awesome as it it to be able to roar fire like a dragon, it does get a little more complicated when you're punching things that I want to set on fire, hahaha. But yeah, I relate to that feeling. I think I saw the Bourne movies when I was a kid. It's not just fire that I think I'm good at. My voice is different. In a bunch of ways. I feel more in control of it than I did in the other world. Pretty sure I could literally scream someone's head off if I wanted."

Listening to all of the threats Nketiah listed, AJ's eyes grew wide. It's really sounding like I found myself in some kind of crazy video game. This world is so damn cool. It was difficult to consider the dangers realistically when only having fought some ape-like creatures and overgrown ticks. Instead, she could only manage to think of them the way anyone would think of a fantasy creature in the world she came from. It was merely an idea.

Novac's suggestions elicited nods of agreement from her.

"Ya' know, I was gonna ask what you were in for, but it felt rude. Glad you just stole shit and weren't a serial killer or anything. I'd rather get back with as little time difference as possible. My wife is going to be a wreck with me missing. And my friends and family won't be good either. To be honest, I'm surprised you want to go back at all. A fugitive. And you didn't mention anyone waiting on you. You could probably start a new life here with the Ekujae without having to face a cell."

Dalton nodded at everyone's comments, "I agree. I've got older kids, but not sure if it is worse thinking they found me in a coma in the driveway or I just disappeared off the planet. Maybe we just wake up at the same moment we left - who knows."

If we get back at all...

Novak giggled at AJ's suggestion of him possibly being a murderer. He said,

"That's lesson one of my mum's 'How to Be a Criminal' handbook. Never use a weapon of any kind, ever!" So, if you offered me a weapon back home, I would drop it. That shiv I found shortly before we were transported, I would have handed it to a guard." But now, I seem to know how to use it. Just like Dalton knows which bone to break, I know exactly where to stick it to make it hurt."

Dalton's suggestion made him think. "Maybe we could be back around the same time. That wouldn't be an outlandish idea. Maybe time just stopped for a second in the old world. Maybe we'll be back and not even remember this place. Just a short lapse of memory. Nothing more."

Dalton shrugged, "I'll hope for something like that... I'd hate my family be looking for me and it sounds like we are in for a long walk at least."

Al looked at Novac. "Like I said, I got your back if you got mine. I have people waiting for me back home too."

Hearing others explain their new powers and abilities, Al smiled slightly. "I've got to admit, this is all pretty awesome. Scary, but awesome."

"As for myself, I feel a strong connection to the earth. It grounds me and it's kept me from freaking out this whole time."

Al looked at the foliage around them. "I can hear the plants whisper ... and control the elements. Who knows what else I can do?"

Dalton laughs at a sudden image from a show he watched with his kids long ago, "Well, if you sprout a big orange mustache, we'll call you The Lorax - as you speak for the trees."