Chapter 3: The Song-Wind City

Novac, who had never played video games, felt lost during the conversation, so he thanked Ikeno for his help and started walking towards the buildings. He decided he would ask the first person he met for directions to the administration office and go from there.

"Everyone here gets their needs met? Damn, I didn't expect Golarion to do better than our world in that regard. Avoiding the outskirts sounds like good advice though."

Does Ikeno actually have a nuanced understanding of the city's socioeconomic climate though? It feels too good to be true.

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AJ follows Novac along with the others, eager to see more of the magic school. Everything was moving so fast, but it seemed every room made her want to pause and stare. The desire to not get left behind won out until they finally found an educator with the role they were looking for. Still, she somehow managed to be distracted by the anteater trinkets on the desk. What a weird animal to be your favorite. Although Novac had been leading the charge thus far, AJ cleared her throat and seized the initiative.

"We all got randomly teleported to Golarion from our home world through weird portals that the Ekujae call aiudara. They said y'all might know how we can get back home."

She eagerly awaited his reaction.

Having struggled to find the best way to explain their situation, Novac was surprised by AJ's direct approach and even more so by Takulu's matter-of-fact response. "We come from another plane of existence – different from yours, yet alike in some ways. The important thing is, we don't belong here and desperately want to return to our own world. Since it seems a magical occurrence brought us here, we would greatly appreciate your help in getting back." Novac was a little winded after speaking, but he hoped his message was clear.

Dalton heard the man rattle off some other worlds. "Wait, are those all other worlds people have come from? We call our world Earth and although similar, it is a vastly different place than here."

Trying his best to sound formal, Al nods his head in acknowledgment to Takulu.

"Admittedly, we aren’t well versed in the magic of the aiudara, so your help would be much appreciated. That being said, have you personally ever encountered a situation like ours?"

Dalton is someone heartened to hear that they have magic to travel to other worlds. "Yes, we are confused as to how and why we ended up here to start with. Four strangers from different parts of our world all ending up here."

"The other part - we are not in the same bodies we left in. All of us are changed into something else, with skills we do not normally have."

"We don't have any planets in our night sky, just a moon. All of the planets in our solar system are uninhabited except for ours. We also don't have magic. Or gods that you can actually verify exist, which it seems like this world does? We also don't have so many different people, just humans. Which by the way, I was just a regular human without magic before I got transported here. Is all of this making sense? It doesn't feel like we hopped from one planet to another via teleportation as much as it feels like we got thrown into a whole different reality."

AJ clarified, feeling that there might be some miscommunication after the mention of planets around Golarion. After taking a breath, she continued.

"One of the Ekujae, Nketiah, told us about the Godsrain. The god of war was killed and shattered, raining down all over the world, right? And now there's some big power vacuum with tons of people vying for the former god's power? It's pretty crazy. Do you think that event was really enough to breach whatever separates our universe from yours in... this multiverse, I guess?"

Every word out of her mouth made her feel more confused and doubtful than the last. What am I saying? Actually, does any of this even matter? Or change anything? Do the people here know the origin of the universe or do they question it too? I'm thinking too much...

Novac couldn't grasp the relevance of their current conversation. So far, all they'd gathered was that they were supposedly in the right location, yet the theological debate about gods remained incomprehensible.

"Mr. Takulu," Novac began, his tone direct but polite, "you indicated that we've arrived at the correct place. However, we haven't yet discussed the specifics of how you might be able to facilitate our return home. I apologize if I'm being too straightforward, but could you please direct us to the individuals within your institution who possess the most knowledge regarding this matter?"


Novac hoped his directness hadn't offended their host, but his patience for religious discussions was nonexistent – a trait perhaps stemming from his upbringing in a criminal household.

Novac's face drained of color. "Weeks? Months, you say! Surely there must be another way?" His knees gave way, forcing him to sit down. "Might as well stay here then," he muttered under his breath. "If I'm gone that long, the sentence will be even longer, perhaps a stint in high security." He whispered the last part, then looked at Takulu, his eyes filled with pleading. "Isn't there a second wise teacher, or perhaps an assistant?"

Dalton was keeping up with the discussion. Thankfully Takulu seemed very willing and eager to help them and things were sounding hopeful. Then came the comment about months before even talking to the man who might be able to help them.

He watched Novac, worried about his new friend. Dalton disappearing for months, his kids were grown, some traveling the world. Surely he might be missed, but there was no one who would not be able to go on without him. No one relying on him solely for support. No punishment for himself if he returned 6 months later. He wanted to comfort Novac, but he had nothing to offer him. Takulu and the school was their only hope of returning and that may take months.

To Takulu, "We greatly appreciate any and all the help you are willing to give us. Let us know if there is anyway we could help, especially if it would speed up finding a way home. "

Al was pondering the remark Takulu had made about the influence of the divine when he heard how long they’d have to wait for help. He sympathized with Novac’s reaction, knowing he had people back home waiting for him.

"Shit … this keeps getting worse. What would a god want from me?"

Al stammered as he spoke up.

"Novac’s got a point! Takulu, could there be anyone else with knowledge of either the Godsrain or the aiudara?"

"Thank you, Takula. Could you please tell us where we might find Teacher Lesedi?" Novac asked weakly. Even if Teacher Lesedi could help them get started, they would still need to wait for the Mage's return. "I suppose we'll need a place to stay too. Could you recommend an establishment? We've been traveling through the jungle for quite some time, and I would really appreciate the chance to clean up."

AJ glanced over at Novac after bluntly questioning Takulu, struggling to contain her frustration with only her eyebrows. He obviously just hasn't gotten to that part yet. However, the teacher's response made it clear that he wasn't the person who could help them after all. Oh. Her inner monologue went silent as she tried to process what was said. Vague imaginings of what months within Nantambu might look like drifted across the surface of her mind. Anxiety about what this meant for their home reality squeezed her gut. The immediate crumbling of the rogue caught her glance, but she did little more than stare, expressionless. She listened to the others, unable to say anything while stuck within the internal sanctuary of her mind. It was Takulu's next words that finally managed to provide some fuel to spark a reaction from her.

"God shards. Powerful monsters. Supernatural environments. If it was the Godsrain that brought us here, then it will be another that lets us leave. It sounds a lot like to me we should use these powers that were thrusted upon us by something or someone to keep getting stronger until we can punch a hole through the fabric of reality to get back. We just have to put Gorum back together so we can kill him ourselves."

Delusions of grandeur and a god complex were a nostalgic coping mechanism in response to trauma. It had been over a decade since relying on it, but it was easy to fall into old habits when reality thrusted self-actualizing power upon her. The look in her eyes was a delightful mixture of determination and unhinged emotion.

Dalton was not sure that what AJ said was possible, but with everything they had seen, his definition of what was possible was changing all the time.

"Pretty sure putting Humpty Dumpty back together is not an option. Although you have a point. This Godsrain is the broken parts of a god... if some kind of divine power brought us here, then maybe the one of these parts would be the key to getting us out of here."