"Running from the authorities." He brought a hand to the stolen object in his pocket. "Someone froze me in time just after i escaped them, when i came too again, several hours had passed, the sun was down, the PRT gone." He shrugged. "This mansion was the only thing in sight from there, aside for trees and bushes. I assumed somebody was luring me here, so that they could exploit my particular power, i'd bet. That's just the running theory, though." He caught the key as it came back down.

Deep, deep, in the heart of the Pine Barrens a man rushed between the trees. The woods were completely silent, save for the pounding of his feet through the underbrush, the pants of his exertion, and his occasional frantic shouts. Any rational outside observer watching his desperate flight through the woods would be forced to the unfortunate conclusion that Sam West was a madman. He whipped his flashlight around the dark woods, sometimes stopping and focusing the beam on nothing at all and staring at it intently. Sometimes he stopped, or flailed out of the way of some unseen attacker. His words where always some hurried order "TO THE LEFT!" Or "HOLD HIM DOWN!"

Of course, he didn't care how he looked right now. Right now a life and death struggle was taking place before his eyes. He didn't have the time to look sane.

From his perspective the Barrens were filled with noise. Low, guttural roars competed with his pitched shirking screeches. The beating of massive wings, the air of which he could occasionally feel. The constant accompaniment of bushes rattling and branches snapping. It was by this last one that he was able to follow the fight, which by this point he was only able capture fleeting glimpses of in the beam of his light. A raised claw here, a clover hoof there. Sometimes the fight was carried into the treetops and he was showered with debris from above.

It was then that he leaped to the side, as a tangled ball of leathery green skin and feathers dropped from above him. He turned his flashlight on it. The Owlman was on top, feathers ruffled, suit torn, bleeding from numerous wounds. He dug his claws into the Devils chest, thick black blood oozing from between it's talons. The Devil beat its wings furiously, it's goat-like mouth locked around the Owlman's shoulder. It tried to roll, right itself, But every time the Owlman would shift it's weight to keep the Devil pinned.

Sam approached, cautiously. "Hold him steady!" He shouted over the din. "Let him tire himself out!" He looked at his watch. Five O'clock, A.M. It an hour he would be able to get a good look at the Devil in the light of day. Another cryptid he could knock off his list. Sam positively glowed with satisfaction.

Then the Devil managed to get its scrabbling hooves up under the Owlman. It pulled the Owlman in, the suddenly let go as it gave a mighty kick. The Owlman was dislodged and thrown to the side as the Devil righted itself. "No!" Shouted Sam as the creature beat its wing again. As it began to lift off he ran forward and threw himself onto it's back. It let out a surprised roar, but nonetheless kept lifting off. The Owlman rushed to its feet just as the Devil was about to shoot up into the trees, leaping and digging one huge claw into its side as it did.

They were carried up, the off balance Devil weaving through the trees but unable to avoid the branches. Sam pressed his face to the creatures back, enduring the scrapes and impacts as best he could. He heard one last crash, felt no more branches, then opened his eyes. They had burst into some sort of clearing. He could see an ornate mansion all lit up, its gates open and welcoming. Then he realized that he could see all this was because Jersey Devil was nowhere to be found.

Then he started to fall.

He and the Owlman landed in a sorry heap right in front of the open front door. All the air was driven from Sam's lungs and he spent a few chocking seconds trying to get it back and deal with the pain of his belly flop, but at least that was preferable to losing the equipment in his bag. He coughed, sputtered, tried to stand, fell back down, and just laid there for a moment wallowing in his frustration. "We had him." He said, slamming a fist into the soft grass. "He was literally in my grasp."

He took a moment to collect himself before rising and stumbling to the front door. He knocked on the side three times, as loud as he could, and shouted. "Excuse me? Sorry to intrude, I think I might need some help. Can I use your washroom?"

"Get out! Out of my store you filthy reptil-" shouted a man's voice, cut off as the building he was in bursted in flames. I would walk out if the burning building, grumbling as I looked to the full moon above. My tail would coil behind me, ignoring the panicked store owner, a pale elf that was running out through the back door in horror. My trance ended when I heard a different scream, I ran to the source, an alleyway. I'd stop as my glowing eyes revealed a guard being drained by the fangs of a vampire. About five of the bloodsuckers were around the man armed only with a pike. "Oi!" I shouted as I drew closer to the group of scum, a black rapier forming in my right hand. The vampire that was drinking the guard dropped him and darted towards me with speeds impossible for the human eye to catch. Despite the impossible speed my tail would have thrashed against the side of the charging vampire, forcing him through a brick wall. I'd walk over to the creature of the night and debris. I heard one of his friend rush to me, my tail would catch and coil at the neck, constricting the second monster like a snake. As I held down the second one, id strike the first attacker's heart with the rapier, an instant death for his kind. His body would coil and shrivel like a slug over salt immediately. Flames erupted from the scales of my tail, the constricted vampire would scream, or at least attempt to. I turned to the remaining three who looked at me with horrified faces, it was satisfying to see such creatures shrivel in fear, the irony was amusing. Id begin to walk over, two of the three got into a fighting stance, however they were both suprised as they were blasted by my burning breathe, bathing in flames they'd flail about before collapsing. The last one would run into the nearby woods, as fast as a bullet. "Get back here!" I shouted. Dropping the vampire from my tail who was still alive, barely, writhing in fire with the other two. I'd dart off trying to find his scent. Stopping by a tree every now and then to taste the air with a forked tongue. The third time I tried this, his scent was gone altogether, in fact I could smell nothing from my previous attempts, as if I was in a whole new area. Paranoid my wings would stretch and I would dart above the tree line. Nothing but trees could I see. Miles and miles of barren forest. I couldn't see the village, the fields, or even the mountains I previously saw. I became confused, lost, and worried. I would turn about every direction in the air. Nothing. I was tempted to burn down the whole forest out of spite, perhaps then id fine something. Before I could weave my flames, I noticed a light source from the corner of my eye. Turning I saw a manor, I immediately noticed its ancient technology(modern technology is considered ancient and rare in ragnarok universe.) someone so wealthy was able to have such an ancient and expensive home, surely I wasn't lost in the middle of no where after all. I'd swoop down to the door of the manor, giving it a firm knock.

A tall, buff, black haired man with a twirly moustache and a friendly expression greeted Sam and Fafnir.

"Hello." He said happily "Please, come in." He opened the door to a fancy, well lit interior. Too pretty to be out here with no roads, in fact.

Further down the hall, despite the beauty of the interior, something was out of place. Rather, three people were out of place, arguing about magic.

"Run from the cops, huh?" Mikkish conflicted in his mind about mentioning Templars, but decided against it. This guy was probably just going to argue there were no Templars, or magic despite clearly the fact he could teleport.

"Well, I'm off to my room." Mikkish resolved. He didn't bother to ask who was luring Blink here, mainly because Blink would probably talk a whole bunch of other nonsense.

He headed upstairs and down a hallway. The doors were numbered.

Mikkish swung open the door to reveal spacious room with a king sized bed, a television on top of a nice dresser, a mini fridge next to the bed, and the room even had its own bathroom.

Hearing the beating of mighty wings, no doubt his tenacious, slipper quarry swinging around to finish the job, Sam groaned and threw himself into the shrubbery.

He heard something land before the door and a firm knock. He gave a look to the Owlman that had followed him, and the two shared a look that communicated the entire plan. Sam stood quickly, taking the flashlight that he'd had in a death grip since the flight and shining it directly in the creatures face as the Owlman dived out of the shrubbery, claws gleaming and slashing to find purchase.

Of course the Owlman's attack was completely unnoticeable and came to nothing because he, objectively speaking, did not exist and Sam was left shining his beam rather stupidly at someone that was not the Jersey Devil as the Owlman passed unseen through his form and face planted again. He slowly lowered the light as he took in this stranger, but this awkward moment was interrupted by the smiling man that invited them inside.

"Uhhhhhh..." He said, not knowing exactly how to play this. He flicked the flashlight off and gestured to the winged man with it. "After you?"

@Gentlemanvaultboy

I gave a bow to the butler, and then to the stranger shining his light to me. After entering I briefly admired the fine architecture of the interior home, before turning to the two strangers. "Do either of you know where this is?" I asked, blinking with my candle-like, crimson eyes.

Sam entered the mansion behind him, forming his own theories as he went. The one in the lead at the moment was that he had stumbled upon some late-night LARP. Sometimes a particularly dedicated group of LARPers got so into it that it spawned a bubble of subjective reality for them to play in. They wouldn't realize it, of course. They would just be playing a game, and would remember it as such despite what happened to their avatars. It would also explain what had happened to the Jersey Devil. A being from one subjective reality bubble could not, generally speaking, enter another one. So it would be long gone by now.

Despite that setback, this was a fantastic opportunity. These bubbles, though powerful enough to turn a costume into wings and a big tent into a sprawling estate, were fragile. Anything that took a player out of the game was liable to shatter it. Say, for example, and unexpected third party suddenly showing up and asking strange questions. He never got to study these properly as a result. So, trying to keep as inconspicuous as possible, he slid in beside the doorman and asked "Could you direct me to the restroom?"

"Just down this hall and to the right." The butler said. Perhaps someone might notice his shadow was moving while he stood still. The butler had certainly noticed the owlman.

Meanwhile, Mikkish explored his room, finding all too familiar clothes in the dresser. His clothes, which he had left in the hotel room before coming here, even the bra from a girl he had been with the night before. Even a small plastic bag with barely a few hits worth of pot, which was his.

Who was doing this? A powerful cultist mage? Or was this some mindfuck from someone who had been watching him? Why were these things, hiw things in this room?

Suspiciously, Mikkish began moving down the stairs. His ass if their wasn't cultists here. These other guests were probably part of a trick, by the cultists who were getting smart.

Little did he know, that if the other guests checked their roomz, they too, would find all too familiar possessions in their drawers.

"Excuse me, Miss"

Mikkish overheard a butler saying this to Marlene

"Here is the key to your room. I hope you enjoy your stay." He said, handing her a key and then walking away.

It was becoming more and more obvious to Mikkish that not only weren't either of these people cultists, but in fact they were in the same boat as him. At least it seemed that way. But while he himself was probably being lured into a trap by the staff and whatever magic was at play here, why were these others here? And what other "guests" would be joining them?

"Something tells me you never made any reservations either. So what brought you here?"

Marlene smiled back as she happily received the key to her room.

"thanks for the key sir." She entered the room and looked around rather pleased with her surroundings.

"this room looks quite similar to my apartment back in my homeland."

Blink didn't check his room, not yet. He instead walked around the mansion, getting a feel for the layout, the rooms. When he came to the door again, and saw that there were two newcomers, he quickly turned back around and headed off the direction he came. He wasn't all too keen on another fight.

"Thank you." He said, moving down the hall past everyone else and disappearing round the corner, feeling at the back of his head. It felt wet. He'd definitely gotten cut by some of those loose branches.

The bathroom was just as lavish as the rest of the hose looked, and the medicine cabinets were fully stocked. He took some peroxide and upended the bottle over his head. Judging by how little sting there was he wasn't messed up too badly, but seeing how he didn't think the bathroom was real anyway he didn't see any reason to be conservative with the stuff. He looked in the mirror, picking out the few problem spots from the white plume of bubbles that sprung up around them, then rinsed his head in the sink and held a hand towel to the problem areas.

With his free hand he reached into his bag and pulled out his camera. Cameras, no matter what, recorded objective reality. He raised it up and snapped a picture while he had the chance, out a view of everyone else, to do so without breaking the bubble and see what sort of place he really was.

He stared at the resulting picture for a few moments, then took another from a different angle. This one he also studied intently before making his way out of the bathroom. He stepped into the hallway, raised his viewfinder, and took a shot of everyone in it.

His pictures were, in order, a shot of the bathroom, a shot of the mirror, and a shot of everyone in the hallway.

"Real." He said, dumbfounded. "Objectively real." A huge grin slowly spread across his face as he surveyed the hallway and its inhabitants. "How absolutely fascinating."

"Quite." Blink mused from behind Sam. He'd decided halfway back to stop being a coward, and when he noticed Sam had left, it wasn't that hard to find him again. "I would be insulted that you might think that I'm not real, but considering that one of us is 'magical' and the butler has clones... I'm not even sure anymore if i'm real."

He eyed Sam as he spoke, watching, waiting for an attack. "So, what's your story?"

The butler had clones? This just kept getting curiouser and curiouser.

Sam had discovered long ago that when asked a question like that about what he'd been up to the truth and an outrageous lie had no practical difference, and so had resolved to at least be an honest man. "I got lost hunting the Jersey Devil. What about you? That other guy said something about you running from the cops?"

He looked Sam up and down, trying to get a feel for the danger he might pose, then gave up, as a hundred possibilities sprung to mind that didn't change no matter what shape he was in. "Yup, and as you seem to have stumbled your way in here, so did I." He didn't give any more, "So, the jersey devil, you say?"

The man perks up at the mention of the Jersey Devil. "Yeah. I swear I almost had the slippery bastard this time, until..." He pauses for a second. "Well, it's not important. Mistook that guy for it, when I saw him." He gestured to the winged man standing in the hallway. "He doesn't seem to know where we are, though, which is odd. This is the Pine Barrens, isn't it?"

Marlene tapped Blink on the shoulder.

"Hello.....how are you today?" She asked with shy yet awfully polite Dutch accent.

She looked into his eyes and then adjusted her bra.

"Unless the Pine Barrens moved to Boston, No." He replied, shrugging. "Which means you've moved quite far, or i'm thinking more likely, we were portaled here, or something." He shrugged. "We could be on the dark side of the moon for all i'm sure of." He paid no attention to the Hollander.

"Fascinating. Fascinating! Portal, huh? Could such a thing really exist?" His mind was awash with possibilities. Actual, for real teleportation wasn't something he had experienced before. He'd lost time before, but that was to be expected when you spent your life inside strange pockets of reality. His train of though cut off as the woman from the hallway earlier snuck up on his new conversation partner. "Hello there. Tell me, are you the lady of the house?"

He eyed Sam for a moment. One person was weird, but two people who seemingly have been living under a rock and don't know even the most basic things? His theory didn't have an answer for that, not yet. Regardless, he decided to keep quiet, to let the Hollander speak.

"Anything can exist, young man. This is just where it becomes apparent." The butler said to Sam from behind "Tell me, are you at all familiar with the concepts of existentialism and rationalism?"