Chapter 2: It's a Jungle Out There

Dalton watch the clearing from the edge as Novac worked on the trap. The number of bugs was not making him feel any better. "Considering the size of that tick and other things, a few giant trees worth of bugs does not sound inviting."

As Novac disables the trap, "Do we even care to go looking? This might be someone's house - the trap at the front door is either to gather food or to keep people away. Either way, I'm not sure I want to go stomping into their living room."

AJ watched Novac disarm the trap with fascination, wondering what all she would do with such a skillset. The convicted thief is like a rogue. Hilarious. She hoped he would want to do something good with his talents, but a significant part of her had a hard time trusting him. It's not like she'd never known any criminals before, but they were people who'd been out of prison for a long time. Conquering her wariness of prior felons was one thing, but an active felon was something very different. It's possible he could have lied about what he was in for. If it wasn't for the fact that she was now able to manifest her inner flames into external ones, she would be feeling a lot more vulnerable in this body. Dalton's voice snapped her out of her silent paranoia and inner monologue.

"I mean, what's the harm in letting him sneak around and poke his head in? Apparently he was good at it before getting tossed here with us. Now he's even better. I think it's good to be informed about what's around us. If it looks dangerous, we can just go around. There is an inherent risk to it, sure, but there could be something that could help us. Never know in a fantasy world."

Still sensitive from his wounds, Al grapples with the humid jungle environment. He wipes his brow, drenched with sweat.

He turns to address Novac.
"Just be careful going in there. Trust in your new abilities."

Al’s eyes dart to the rest of the group.

"It’s definitely strange, but we should rely on our skills until we find a way out of here. Basically, fake it until we make it."

Novak chuckled. "Fake it till we make it? That's my life story. Okay, wish me luck, everyone. Let's hope this works." He moved toward the deactivated trap, eyes peeled for others. Staying under cover, he tested each patch of ground before stepping.

Noticing their pitiful state, Novac emerged from the shadows, hands raised in a gesture of peace. In a soothing voice, he spoke, 'We mean you no harm. We're simply passing through. But I see you're weary and wounded. Do you need assistance? My companions are nearby, and we'd be glad to help if you'll allow us."

"My companions can help heal you. Don't worry, they're good people." Novac exits the cave, waving his group over. "We've found some people here who really need our help. They're hurt and worn out, driven from their home." He heads back inside.

"I'll be right there!"

AJ tumbles forward into the clearing. Her instincts to help in a crisis situation immediately overwhelm any other thought. However, the sight of the strange reptilian creatures have her stop in a moment of hesitation. It wasn't fear, but simply a pause of confirmation regarding what she was seeing. The strangest things they had seen so far still carried characteristics of the world they used to know. Ekujae, with their pointy ears and dark eyes, could easily be emulated by cosplay. These creatures looked completely alien. Before long, she spoke up.

"Don't worry, I have magic that can help. ...Heal!"

In the time it took her to conjure her magic, the flame oracle recalled images of white mages and healers from the games she used to play. There was no need to shout out the names of magical abilities, but something about it felt right in this scenario. As the warmth of her power of engulfed her, it culminated in a large radiation of curative magic. The glow of a hearth filled the clearing. Purifying wisps of cinder flitted through the air, placing themselves everyone there.

Dalton followed over to the the area, shield still on his arm, but lowered. Novac had mentioned something drove them from their home. "Did they mention what they are fleeing?" Looking around the clearing for any sign of what might be chasing whoever Novac had found.

He glanced into the shelter, spotted the lizard folk, and stood up pausing to consider. Talking quietly to himself, "Well, I had been waiting for the talking lion." giving another glance - he turned to scan the trees again.

Now that he had notified his friends, Novac turned to what he assumed was the leader. "You mentioned that you were driven out of your home by a horrible thing. Can you describe it? Did it follow you here?" Novac looked around nervously. He was still rattled from the snake attack, and he wasn't sure if they could help against a monster that displaced those reptilian people. "You mentioned a trap? Do you know if it worked?"

Dalton leans in to report, catching the reptile leaders comment. He paused a moment, his brain suddenly thinking he was talking to an iguana or alligator. "I for one am glad the trap didn't work. I do not see anything moving around the clearing. How far away is your home from here?"

He looked at the family huddled in the tree. It was impossible not to feel sympathy for them, despite how different they were from him. A man desperately trying to protect his family. Dalton couldn't help but think what he would do for his kids back home in this situation. Anything was the simple answer.

"We have some extra provisions if you are hungry." Dalton pulled out several days worth of provisions and offered them over. Maybe he would regret that in few weeks if they ran out, but looking at the huddling family, he doubted it.

"I'll keep watch while we figure out what to do next. You can rest for a minute."

Dalton turned and continued to watch for any movement. Giant man shaped killer weeds... he hated yard work.

Scanning the foliage, Al reflects on the description of the creature.

Addressing the reptilians, Al nods respectfully.

"We are also travelling through the jungle … travelling together would be safer for all of us."

Feeling embarrassed for accidentally wrecking the family's trap, Novac said, "I'm really sorry about that. We're not used to the jungle, and we've been having some trouble ourselves, so I wasn't thinking about any defenses you might have," his voice trailed off. "But like Al said, if you're heading somewhere, we could travel with you. Safety in numbers, you know?"

"Tuber? Like- a potato?"

AJ struggled to imagine what the monster that the reptilians mentioned looked like. A part of her was also starting to wonder just how strange this world was. A lot of things so far could easily be attributed to a relatively standard fantasy world. Elves, whatever Al was, and magic. But a potato monster? It was hard to respect the danger it probably posed. She looked to the others.

"I mean- I have fire magic. And it's a plant. Video game logic says it's probably weak to fire. Maybe we could just burn it out?"

Dalton could not help but grin, it certainly sounded funny out of context - user your fire magic to defeat the boss potato. If not for the terrified family huddled within the only shelter they could find.

"Makes sense... well none of this makes sense, but you get it. Fire kills most things and should work against a plant. We could scout out their home and see what this thing looks like. Maybe Al will be able to get a feeling from it since he has some connection with plants now. Maybe the potato can just go somewhere else."

That was most likely the strangest things he had ever said in his life. Sounded like something he would say playing with his kids and their stuffed animals 'grawr the potato squishy strikes... the little green squishy run screaming... '

Novac stared at his companions, incredulous. Barely a couple of days in this bizarre world, they'd already faced down monkeys, strange critters, and a colossal snake. And now, they spoke of hunting a monster? Not for defense, but to seek it out! "Hold on," he interjected, "no offense, but aren't we biting off more than we can chew? We practically stumbled our way here, barely surviving. Shouldn't we stick with our new allies, find a safe haven, and, you know, actually aim to get back home?"

"These little dudes are gonna have to settle down somewhere. They aren't going to join us on our long ass walk to civilization. Are you suggesting we should just leave them here instead? You were the one to suggest poking your nose in here to see what was going on. The decent thing to do would be to either help them find a new place to live or get them back their old one. The ekujae took care of us. We should pay it forward."

Still standing amidst the small lizardfolk, AJ stared at Novac with a furrowed brow. His behavior seemed somewhat contradictory and befuddling. Obviously, we all want to go home, but what kind of guy are you? How are we going to leave this place on the way back?