As he approached the pedestrian crossing, he looked over. The lights were red so he didn't slow his gait. He glanced down at his phone as he crossed, eager to finish the message he was sending to Clara. The loud honking of a horn drew his attention. He turned his head quickly to bright lights. Bus lights. Crash.

The lights were red.

Pain. So much pain. He couldn't feel his legs. Couldn't feel his arms. Couldn't move his head. The evening sky was his view. An indigo sheet dotted with the occasional twinkle. Pain. Slow blinks. Eyelids heavy. He could hear voices.

"Oh my god!"

"Call an ambulance!"

A face. Unknown. Horrified. Am I going to die? Fuck, please no. I'm too young to die. This pain though. The lights were red. Eyelids so heavy. Need to rest my eyes.

"Sir, are you with us? Stay with us."

More faces. Paramedics. Please save me. Please fucking save me. Can't keep my eyes open. Save me.

"We're losing him."

Shit. Pain subsiding. Blackness. Faces in the dark. My mother. Father. Sister. More family. Friends. Teachers. Randoms.

"He doesn't appear to have any serious injuries."

Oh thank god.

"Just a nasty bump on the back of his head."

Wait. Is that all. That bus though.

"Wake up, adventurer. The battle isn't yet done."

Zell opened his eyes after feeling the sharp pain on his cheek for the second time. He was traumatized. Shocked to see the townguard rise up to his feet and turn his attention to other things. The swordsman sat up to see skeletons fleeing out of the gate, hearing the ogres roar in their last stand. He got up quickly, reached for his sword to find it was gone. When he saw James he did his best to give him the bravest face he could manage, puffing his chest out. "Good to see you're not dead," was all he could think to say, and he gave the staff wielder a salute. "Now where the fuck is my sword?"

Fortunately, in spite of what the guardsmen told him, the battle was indeed over. The ogres were being finished off as he carefully approached, remembering that his sword was stuck in the shoulder of the Armoured Ogre. His mind was in shambles as he watched the townguards and others enjoying their victory. "Good job," he told one who he passed. Then shouted over to Arthur. "Hey Arthur! Nice going!"

Growling with effort as he pushed over the vine-wrapped Armoured Ogre, he went around and found the sword sticking out of the dead beast. He couldn't get the bus lights out of his head. He was dead! This was... hell or... something. Dead, god damnit! "Get it together, man," he told himself quietly as he yanked the sword free, then realized frustratedly, "Oh jeez, it's not even mine."

He found his sword near the eastern gate, and the time taken meant he missed most of the conversation, but also gave him enough space to prepare himself to be the usual macho dumbass he presented himself to be.

"Saving the world? Alriiiight," he interjected, inserting himself between the farm man and the European woman whose accent he still couldn't place. He put an arm around each of them to rest on their shoulders and gave them both a grin. "Road trip. Let's do it. Anything to take our minds off being kidnapped by another dimension or whatever... I'm down."

@xenon

Joji Yamazaki

His blade struck true stabbing into the heart of the ogre. Joji was glad that the creature was finally dead, and its minions were fleeing from the other humans, taking a moment to catch his breath after the short but intense battle. He turns his attention toward the commander of the army. “Oi, do you mind telling me what the hell is going on?” The Japanese man was now putting away his sword, as the battle was finished. Although this question was mostly directed toward the others in the group. He could tell or assumed they were from Earth. If he was going to do anything for anyone, he wanted to know the details of the situation.

“Who was commanding those monsters? And why were they attacking you guys?” Joji started moving a little bit closer toward the commander and the soldier he was speaking with. Watched as the soldier came back with a sack full of jingling coins. The sackful of money could be useful since he was new to the world. He wondered if he could get his suit from when he was alive on earth. Perhaps he could get a gun or something better than a sword. But disregarded this thought, as he didn’t think such things were invented yet.

"Good to see you're not dead, now where the fuck is my sword?"

"Yeah dude same"

He was sure he wasn't meant to hear the second part but Zell hadn't walked far away enough for him to miss it, drawing a snort from him before looking back where the head honcho was now talking with Adam and MacKenzie plus the other two people who went to help with the evacuation.

Perhaps it was the post-battle exhaustion or maybe the feeling of the blessing of Undaya fading but for some reason James didn't feel like saying anything while the rest of the weirdos with crystals on their hands (Fellow abductees?) interacted with the downed Chief cop, instead what came to his mind was the soreness, the hit he took earlier and the strain of dragging Zell's unconscious body was being registered by his mind now that the adrenaline was subsiding.

Rolling his shoulder a few times to get ease his muscles he refocused on the ongoing conversation.

"1000 silver pieces... It's all yours... just please... take that cube - that thing - to the city of Valhiem. North of here... two days travel if you head off the road and into the wild. I trust in your ability to defend it, should the Witch Queen's forces give chase. But you must be swift. You must leave now. There is no time to spare. Our mages and scientists must see that cube. It must reach Capitol City."

That... was a lot to take in, Witch Queen? Valheim? Capitol city? as the others gave their opinions and agreements his mind furiously processed the information, there was likely an open conflict between two(?) factions(?) and the leader of an army of monsters was a woman(?) referred to as the Witch Queen, did they inadvertently choose a side the moment they chose to help defend the town? if so were they in the wrong by doing so? the army seemed pretty evil but then again from a logistic standpoint, it seemed reasonable to send an expendable force to destroy/capture a settlement in order to deny the enemy resources, that and this place seemed medieval so no geneva convention against war crimes, still those were half-assed speculations without taking into account what was likely a more nuanced situation.

He needed more information

"Oi, do you mind telling me what the hell is going on? Who was commanding those monsters? And why were they attacking you guys?"

"Well that is convenient"

James watched as the Asian-looking man approached the guard boss, damn the guy was intimidating (A small part of him told him to take notes) and he could see how the guards tensed even so slightly in his presence. He thought that the guy was asking him and the others but he wasn't sure if he was just asking anyone in general, still, this was something he could use. Crouching to be at eye level with the big enchilada he was tempted to give a smile but knowing himself it would come off as a grimace so he settled on his least angry scowl.

"Hey, my name is James and I am with Sicko Sword over there, I would like to help but the last thing I recall I was" dead "doing something else and then suddenly I found myself in a stone coffin in a very different place, so I would love if you could offer an explanation for what the fuck is going on"

His breath was slightly heavy by the end but he didn't allow his temperament to lash just yet, he really wanted some answers preferably before the next bullshit situation happened.

Zell was content to keep his mouth shut when the new arrival started an interrogation of his own. And why wouldn't he? This man was huge. And not just tall like Arthur... Jesus, he was jacked! Dude looked like a bodybuilder who ate steroids for breakfast. Even the guards knew to shut the hell up. James, however, wasn't afraid to press the police chief with questions of his own. Whatever answers were provided to the Asian man, Zell would speak up in reply to James. This was because when James was talking, he kinda wavered mid-sentence, which made Zell have a sudden and rare apipheny.

"You were 'doing something else' huh?" he echoed James own words back to him. "Doing something dangerous maybe? Had an accident? Got yourself killed?"

The swordsman remembered the first words of MacKensie. At the time, he didn't know he'd died himself, but now - with that in mind - MacKensie wavered mid-sentence the exact same way James did.

"You know what I'm talking about, right?" he directed to the French woman. "That plane you said you were on... was that cap... or was there some kind of accident you left out." It was all just a hunch, but Zell went all in. "Me? I got hit by a bus. Very. Very. Painful. I died and woke up here. I'm willing to bet we all did."

It sounded pretty ridiculous. He hadn't taken the time to think it through. He said it anyway. Classic Marsel Brooks.

"How about you two?" he said, looking left and right at the American and European who he still had his arms around. "What happened? Didn't get your names, bee-tee-double-you. I'm Zell. Nice to meet ya."

A one-sided grin appeared on his face. Classic Marsel Brooks.

Fenna pushed Zell's arm off her shoulder. "Fenna," she answered the question. "And I don't remember dying," she added.
Was it true? Was she really dead, or was there a magic involved that had pulled her from earth and dropped her into this realm? At this moment she asumed the latter as there was definitely magic here, but there wasn't any evidence for either option. It stung knowing how far away she was from her husband and children, but tried not to let it get to her. Surely if they had gotten here there had to be a way back too, right? Hadn't the commander mentioned mages and scientists?

"Maybe we can find the answer we are looking for in Valhiem," she said as she crossed her arms and she looked from one to the other. "We will drop that thing off, and ask the mages and scientists have any idea how we got here, as none of us seems to know how that happened. If there is an answer to our question, it has to be there."

A townsguard approached her holding a metre-long spear with something claw-like at the end and waited until she was done speaking. "Excuse me, ma'am," he said politely. "I was doing a round in the village to see if any enemies were left behind and I found this in the, ehhh, stone box you emerged from."
Fenna took it from him, she must have missed it before, with the shadows at the bottom and everything that was happening. Her fingers folded around the wooden shaft and she nodded a thanks to the man.

As Adam heard the farmer and the woman he had stood next to earlier agree to the mission, he felt like he was doing the right thing here. Delivering this cube so its use could be discovered had the potential to help more than just a single town being attacked by skeletons. They would need to get to Valheim to do this though, and that meant having good intelligence on the general area.

Thankfully, one of the guardsmen provided Adam with a map that seemed to answer the nature manipulator's questions. It seemed that going off road to the north and through some light trees and hills would be the best way to get there. The document didn't seem to indicate it was a particularly dangerous route either, though in a world of skeleton warriors and ogres it was good to be prepared for that anyway. And speaking of being prepared…

"Excuse me sir, does the sun rise in the east and set in the west?"

The nearby guardsman looked baffled at Adam's question, like he was asking a ridiculously stupid question. Nonetheless, he gave a simple "yes" position response before rolling his eyes and walking away.

The Druid didn't really care what that guy thought though; this was a new world and he couldn't assume things worked the same way here that they did on Earth. Using the position of the sun, the compass and the map would allow this impromptu team to get to the capitol instead of getting lost in the trees.

And with a few words and a nod in Adam's direction, MacKensie declared her intent to help as well. Adam smiled and nodded back to her in response, happy to have her in the group. This would work out. Everyone had been able to fight together against a common enemy before, so why should this mission be any different?

The new guy and James did ask relevant questions that could present new challenges to overcome, but it was Zell who delivered a metaphorical punch to Adam's gut. Asking if they all died, and then grinning about it? Adam loved his family, and he was sure the others had people back on Earth they cared about also. This callousness visibly disgusted the man and made him wonder if perhaps they were in over their heads, too different to cooperate effectively? After all, many of them (himself included) had fought by themselves in their previous battle. What if there was a stronger enemy ahead of them and they couldn't work together? The result wouldn't be good.

And of course, the reminder that he had lost his family was front and center. His father, mother, and brother were people he'd never see again. How were they feeling now? He'd never gotten to say goodbye and told them how much they meant to him. At that moment, the mental exhaustion from the loss and the physical exhaustion from getting struck by an ogre were plainly visible to anyone looking at the Druid, and Adam felt like he would collapse under the strain.

But Fenna had inadvertently provided a path for the man. "Maybe we can find the answer we are looking for in Valhiem. We will drop that thing off, and ask the mages and scientists have any idea how we got here, as none of us seems to know how that happened. If there is an answer to our question, it has to be there."

She was right, and he was grateful to her for that. There was a path forward, one that maybe meant being able to be reunited with the ones he cared about. And if not, Adam was probably still helping innocent people with this quest, and that was something he knew would make his family proud. Yes, he would need to find time to mourn the ones he lost, but the right thing to do now was to focus on this mission. The man took a deep breath, did his best to regain his composure, and renewed his focus on the task before him. The path forward might be difficult, but Adam vowed to do his best to get to the end of it.

Commander Vadim turned his icey blue gaze onto Joji Yamazaki, looking the swordsman up and down, taking note of the Source crystal in his hand aswell as his intimidating presence at large. He did not remember seeing this man before the battle started, but it was clear he was with the other adventurers. Then he cast a look of contempt at his men who were intimidated and met the eyes of Joji once more.

"Command of that raiding force belonged the The Witch Queen, more specifically, orders likely came from one of her Lich Lord Generals. The Witch Queen is the leader of the enemy. She once belonged to The Empire - one of our prized and most powerful mages, wielding the Domains of Fire, Dark and Earth. But she was arrested on charges of dabbling in illegal magical practices and escaped into exile before she could be brought to trial. This was almost fifty years ago. And now she returns for vengance, more powerful than ever before."

Vadim eyed James who was crouched beside him as he spoke, then let Zell speak up in reponse. Died? Strange. Some people in Mytheria believed in reincarnation, it largely depended on which of the Gods and Goddesses you worshipped more. Vadim was not one of them. The only undisputed reincarnations in recorded history, as far as Vadim knew, involved the actual dieties themselves. Ressurection was something more commonly seen, though still a rare thing, requiring powerful ritual-tier magic, but the grizzled Commander was pretty certain that it didn't involve stone sarcophagi falling from the sky.

In the end, he agreed with Fenna.

"Valhiem is your best chance of finding the answers you seek. Academics may be able to point to historical precedent for your predicament. But furthermore, The Adventurers' Guild might be your best bet." He had changed his mind on them and now believed that they were as clueless as they professed about their presence here, so he informed them about their Source crystals. "Those crystals embedded into the backs of your hands... those are known as The Gift. Each adventurer has one and it connects you to The Wellsprings, giving you incredible power among many other things. Go to The Adventurers Guild where you may scan your crystals. There is much information unique to yourselves that you find in The Source Code. Perhaps there is some clue as to how you came to be here."



"One thing I do know..." Vadim started. Heads suddenly began turning up as an object in the sky caught their attention. "...stone coffins don't ordinarily just fall from the..."

He faltered. One by one everyone looked to see yet another plummeting stone sarcophagus hurtle to the ground and crash in the courtyard. It landed close by the formed group at the eastern gate, causing a few skittish townguards to dive or shift quickly away, but the only thing that touched anyone was a wave of wind and dust.

"...sky." Vadim finally finished, not unaware of the irony, but in no mood to smile. "For The Quinity's sake," he muttered with a slight shake of his head.

Clive planted a hand on Vadim's shoulder after the dust settled, a smile on his face "Well look on the bright side partner, least ya had some help." the Texan chuckled, giving the gruff man a hard pat on the shoulder as he turned to Fenna.

"Miss, how bout we see that we get ourselves ready fer a long journey. And uh.." the farmer turned to look at the last coffin briefly "I reckon somebody better help the poor individual what just fell from the heavens." nonchalantly gesturing over his shoulder with a thumb towards the coffin Clive chuckled, poor person arrived a bit late it seemed.

Clive didn't think too much about what the frenchman had said about dying, sure they all seemed to have ended up here before something tragic done gone and happened but it was a bit strange he ended up blacking out on a hot day working the fields.

Surely some silly sunlight hadn't done him in? He shook his head, brushing the thought aside for now. Besides, he'd rather be ignorant of the facts than dwell on them. He was here right now, and that's all what mattered.

Unfortunately for the resident of the latest comically-delayed stone sarcophagus to be thrown out of the portal, her earthen vessel had been delayed in its arrival. Yet her vessel's movement seemed to be a tad...off, if only by a small amount. In particular having spun around and tumbled a bit in the air, perhaps due to the delay, before crashing into the ground almost fully on its side as it embedded itself into the spot some guards had apparently once been standing. Certainly a unique crash-landing of sorts, at least, though as the sarcophagus' lid began to pop open it did not slide much before grinding to a halt as it became stuck half-open as part of it sat on the ground.

Rustling could be heard inside as the resident of said sarcophagus woke, though it would soon give way to a more panicked and hurried shuffling as they seemed to realize they were somewhat stu-

CRACK!!!

...stuck.

A flash of lightning struck the stuck lid with a sudden cracking noise, just barely strong enough to forcefully push the half-opened lid the rest of the way open as it fell onto the ground.

Inside, now visible, was a girl of paler complexion and odd white hair. She donned an odd hat, clothes, and even was wearing a backpack to boot. A strange staff likewise was lying in the sarcophagus with her, ornate and seemingly ancient in design. However, her expression was one of a seeming exasperation mixed with panic as her arms tried to steady her against the lower wall of her stone coffin as she looked around quickly.

"Hah...hah....hah...."

Last thing she'd remembered was someone shouting at her, and the brief flicker of a beach umbrella headed toward her. After that, it was all a literal blank. Nothing. Darkness, but instead of some hospital room or the like being the next thing she'd seen, or even the inside of her own room, then the next thing was this: Waking up inside of some stone sarcophagus that was sitting half open. And she felt like she was wearing something else, and other junk was in there with her, and then in her panic some strange knowledge had popped into her head that she'd acted on by pointing her left hand at the half-open sarcophagus lid.

Boom. Lightning. Out of her hand. Suddenly and without warning.

Despite the heavier breathing caused by her initial panic, however, Lillianna Steiner could tell this was not her home. Nor was it the beach. Nor was it a hospital. Nor was it Kansas, for that matter, unless she'd been kidnapped half-across the country, re-dressed for a ren faire, and then stuck in an overly heavy stone box and dropped from a plane before waking up. That final situation in and of itself was so incredibly doubtful it was ludicrous at that! But she could not deny something had happened all the same.

"Hah...Can someone help? P-Please?"

She called out to those nearby to her, from whom she could see from her position at least, in the vain hope that someone might help her get out. Meanwhile the staff that had been in there with her rolled out of the box and onto the disturbed ground with an anticlimactic and harmless soft 'thump'.

"Ugh I hate it when people are not at fault, Valhiem is it? Yeah count me in, I want to know what the hell is happening"

He gave the downed man a nod and then rose to his feet once more, at least they were told some info even if it wasn't some of the more glaring questions about the whole situation and that was without addressing the fact that apparently, they all had died before arriving here (Which was depressing) and suddenly were part of some empowering system.

Still, things could be worse, like the poor schmuck who decided that arriving fashionably late was too cliche and instead arriving an hour later was all the new rage these days. God he was too tired to come up with funny comparations.

"Miss, how bout we see that we get ourselves ready fer a long journey. And uh... I reckon somebody better help the poor individual who just fell from the heavens."

"Yeah yeah you are right, I will go look if they are injured"

Letting out a sigh he started walking towards the new coffin, it had quite the awkward fall but if it was like his then the person inside should have felt a thing but why risk it when he had magic at hand?

Almost as if on cue the moment that thought crossed his mind a sharp noise filled the air before the lid of the coffin fell all the way to the floor to reveal its sole occupant, a white-haired(?) girl.

"Hah...Can someone help? P-Please?"

Shit she seemed worse than everyone else when they arrived, changing his walk to a light jog he took note of the staff on the floor before helping her out of the coffin.

"Hey you okay?, here let me help you out of there" Once she was fully outside of it he began to Observe her briefly before coming to the conclusion that she didn't have any physical wounds so it was likely the panic that was making her act like this and if Zell little comment was true then she was likely in a bad position before this.

Switching to a gentler tone of voice (And carefully relaxing his scowl) he tried to talk to her "Calm down, you are safe, everything will be okay, do you need anything?" focusing again on the group he called "Do any of you guys have water?"

Welcome to this clusterfuck of a situation Wizard girl, hope you like surprises

As the group came to the conclusion that Valhiem might hold the answers they seek, MacKensie was still somewhat reeling from Zell's words. She struggled along with the conversation but half of her mind was reliving those finals moments on the plane with her team - her friends. The screaming and crying, her stomach turning as they dropped altitude at freefall speeds, holding onto the seat in front of her as if it would do anything to brace for impact. Fenna had said that she didn't remember, so MacKensie looked around to see if anyone else was in agreeance with Zell. Adam. He remembered clearly, it was written all over his face. What was also written was that he was upset and extremely offended by the big-mouthed buffoon. MacKensie felt for him. He was likely being forced to relive his death and loss of his loved ones just like her.

When yet another stone coffin crashed to the floor from the sky, MacKensie jumped out of her skin. She didn't realise people were looking up and so she didn't see it coming at all. After the shock, she put a hand to her heart as she tried to calm her breathing, then looked around to see it. James offered to go and see if the new person needed any help. MacKensie dumbly stared at him as he walked off before she finally gathered herself and blinked back to reality. Seeing that the stone coffin had not landed as cleanly as the others, she then realised herself and started to go after James in case an extra helping hand was necessary.

"You should really think before you talk," she said in reprimand to the nearby Zell as she walked away from the group. To talk so casually of their deaths, or their kidnapping to another dimension as he'd earlier put it - tp say it was just 'way too soon' would be the understatement of the century. The newcomer was out of the coffin by the time MacKensie approached. As James had asked, she quickly checked her backpack to see if she had any water. "I'm sorry, I don't have any water," she told them both as she closed the distance. "Nice to meet you," she said to the woman. "I am MacKensie. MacKensie Trydant. You are probably a little confused, no?" She offered a weak chuckle and a reassuring smile. "You are not alone in this."

Adam did his best to focus on the information Vadim was providing; it seemed like there was a lot going on here and the Druid did not want to be unprepared. This Adventurer's Guild in particular sounded like it could provide a good deal of information for everyone. Even so, the man could not help looking at the other crystal bearers, wanting to know how they were processing everything. Was he the only one who felt the pain of loss so heavily? It seemed not; MacKensie looked like she was hurting as well, despite doing what he felt was a better job at staying brave in these times than he was. Even so, Adam was wondering what he could do to help her when he saw an object in his peripheral vision. It was in the sky, zooming towards the ground. It couldn't be another coffin, could it?

The aftermath of the object's crash into the ground revealed that yes, it was a coffin, which meant another new member for their growing group. This new woman's request for help was answered by James, who helped her out and asked if anyone had water. Adam thought about his gear and apparel in response; it was all very practical, designed for outdoor use. Maybe among it, he would find…?

Yes, it was there! A medieval-looking canteen was among his possessions, and it was certainly useful now. "Excuse me one moment," Adam said to no one in particular as he ran to the river. Kind of tiring, considering the attack from earlier, but he wanted to be able to help this new person. Filling the device with water, the Druid ran towards the coffin and the new woman who had emerged from it. With a smile, he held up the canteen. "I have some water, if you'd like. I'm Adam, it's nice to meet you." The man agreed with MacKensie; it was at least a little confusing right now and he wanted to reassure her as well, but he also didn't want to overwhelm what looked to be some kind of wizard by saying too much at once. But he did notice a staff on the ground that he hadn't seen with the others, and Adam wasn't going to let this lady lose it while everything else went on. Therefore, he picked it up with his other hand and held it out to her. "Oh, and is this yours?"

@Teyao @Crusader Lord @xenon

Joji Yamazaki

Once he informed that a witch queen was the one responsible for the attack, Joji really did think this was turning into a JRPG. “Good grief.” He muttered while rubbing the bridge of his nose. All of this was starting to sound like a real hassle for him. He looked at the back of his hand wondering if this crystal was the reason he could fight these monsters. “If this Valhiem guy has any answers.” Joji interjected with some cynicism in his voice. A part of him wanted some answers but felt perhaps someone else would be a better fit. “Let’s just go see if this guy knows what is going on.” Of course he stopped walked when he noticed another coffin falling onto the ground. He went over along with James. Helping the girl out of the coffin, he checked his person for any water.

“I got nothing, but let me see if one of these guys have any.” He walked over towards a solider pointing his finger at him. “Oi, Bring me some water for this women and make it snappy.” He used his most menacing sounding voice. He was not going to have anyone die on his watch. The solider seemed to jump when the Japanese man was addressing him, quickly running to get a leather flask filled with water.. Soon coming back and handing it to Joji. Joji then handed it to James to give to the women. “Don’t chug it down miss, just take it slow. What's your name? Mine is Joji.” He was trying to help her take in her new surrounding. Even though he was still trying to process being in this place.

Hmmmm. Judging by the reactions, his theory held at least a little weight. MacKensie didn't deny anything but her expression said everything. James had his back to Zell the whole time and didn't respond so that was inconclusive. Fenna not remembering anything wasn't evidence against it, after all, Zell himself hadn't remembered either until he smacked his head off the gate frame. The American farm man didn't react, but then again, he seemed oblivious to everything around him. (No matter, Zell loved his accent.) Then there was Adam who had a look on his face like Zell had just crapped in his cereal. The young guy was taking the whole situation hard, that much was clear. Zell understood. He was hurting too. Everyone was hurting, no doubt. Especially the ones that knew they had died. The others - they were looking for answers with possible hopes of returning home. For the ones who knew they were dead - what did they have to return too?
It was over for them. They'd never see anyone from their world again, unless their was a Heaven or something...

Stay focused on the present, asshole, he interupted his own thoughts. Anyway, as for the theory: On the whole, not enough evidence. Ah well. It was worth a shot, Zell thought as his eyes followed other people's gazes up to the air behind him. Another coffin!

"Well aren't your skies busy today," he said over his shoulder to Vadim, after the coffin hit the ground. James and the Japanese bodybuilder started walking over. Zell chuckled. "I suppose we should give a warm welcome."

He started after them and fell into step beside MacKensie (whose accent he loved almost as much as the farm man) who had strong words for him immediately as they walked over.

"You should really think before you talk," she said in reprimand.

"Ha." Zell interlocked his fingers behind his head and leaned back a little to enjoy the sunlight, as if taking a nice stroll in the park on a summers day. "You wouldn't believe how many people have said that to me."

When James asked for water, Zell rummaged a hand through his belt satchel and found nothing, then shook his head and shrugged at his friend. When he looked at MacKensie to see if she came up with anything in her backpack, he noticed, over her shoulder, Adam running over to the river. The swordsman gave a silent wave to the new woman as he came to a stop, then stood and listened to the conversation, allowing the new arrival to reply to everyone, watching the Japanese man bully a soldier for some water, and noting with smiling approval how Adam came running back into the picture to offer her his own water. There was no shame in gaining a little favour from a pretty lady. He even picked up her staff for her.

My dude, he cheered mentally. I like this guy.

Once she'd had a chance to respond to the barrage of warmth and welcome from the group, and when she made eye contact, Zell pointed both thumbs at himself. "Zell Brooks. A pleasure. I take orders from that guy," he said as he pointed at James. "Where combat tactics and strategy are concerned, he's the smart the one. He decides when to sacrifice me for the greater good, and I do it." Then he pointed at MacKensie next to him. "I watch this one's back so she doesn't get herself killed. Honestly, I must've saved her ass like four times already."

He winked at the new woman to show he was just teasing, then sneakily looked in the corner of his eye to see MacKensie's reaction.

Arthur stood over the still warm corpse of the oger he'd slain breathing heavily. He had never felt so energized and tired at the same time. His body ached from both the damage it had with stood and the strain he'd put it through. He looked down at the anchor that he'd used to slay the beast and smiled. 'I don't know whats really going but I definitely want more.' He thought as he slowly worked out the soreness in his arms.

He yanked the anchor free of the now half frozen corpse and rested it across his right shoulder and chuckled at the absurdity of his situation. He had just helped a bunch of guardsmen defend a village from a bunch of skeletons and two large monsters. Arthur was brought out of his contemplation of the ridiculousness of his situation by the soud of someone calling out to him. He looked around and saw it was the dark haired swordsman. 'He said his name was Zell right?' He thought as he gave the man a curt nod. He then proceeded to gather up his harpoons as he figured this wouldn't be the last time he'd need them.

As he gathered the last of the black weapons he noticed a group of the others gathering around the guy who seemed to lead the guard. He walked over just in time to get the important bits. He was deep in thought when Zell asked something that made his heart sink for a second. If they had all died. It seemed impossible at first but then he had just seen some pretty impossible things not but a few moments ago. That was when his disbelief was replaced by anger. "That ass hole!" He said outloud without even thinking about it. He clenched his fists and ground his teeth before closing his eyes and slowly taking a deep breath to calm himself. That was when a loud bang sounded making Arthur turn around quickly anchor raised.

He saw it was another coffin and he while relaxed before he looked to the blond lady with the crossbow, if he remembered she said she was called MacKensie, and walked up to her and the new arrival. "Hey names Arthur, seems you had a rough ride." He said as he looked over there ragtag group of misfits. 'Seems we're heading towards the same city that the voice wanted me to go to.....convenient.' He thought as he watched this new arrival with curiosity.

"Hey you okay?, here let me help you out of there.

Calm down, you are safe, everything will be okay, do you need anything?"

"Do any of you guys have water?"

The mage accepted the helping hand to get out of the lopsided-sitting sarcophagus, letting out a small sigh of grateful relief as she felt her feet on solid ground and her body standing in its proper orientation once more. The man didn't seem entirely happy in his disposition at first, but all the same he'd softened his tone and assisted her in getting out of the more than slightly awkward if not alien position she'd found herself in. To that end she gave him a thankful but quiet nod as she steadied herself and worked on slowing down her breathing a bit.

Even so, some sweat had formed on her forehead and face after the crack of lightning she'd managed to unleash inside the sarcophagus she'd landed in. Heat and lightning and all wasn't exactly conducive to not sweating, really. So yes, water would be nice as well given all of that to boot. Especially as she finally stated to look herself over at the odd, albeit oddly comfortable yet breathable, clothes she was now apparently wearing more closely.

Also...lightning?! If the rest wasn't enough to attempt to process, her brain seemed filled with some things she hadn't known before. In particular these were things that shouldn't exist at all, but she couldn't deny it all the same: Magic. Literal. Magic.

But then another of those nearby came over to where she was, it seemed, though likewise made clear she didn't have any water on her.

"Nice to meet you. I am MacKensie. MacKensie Trydant. You are probably a little confused, no?"

She offered a weak chuckle and a reassuring smile.

"You are not alone in this."

A French accent? Certainly a lovely and refined one compared to such accents she'd remembered hearing before in her life. But this woman was also the first person here to introduce herself with a name, on top of her attempt to assist in assuaging her panic, the kindness of the first man notwithstanding of course. But not alone in this? Were the rest of these people just as confused and suddenly brought here as she was, or were they simply telling her things?

Either way they were at least showing some form of kindness and not acting like some kidnapping-obsessed ren faire extremists, but much more like normal people by far, and this would bring Lillianna to the conclusion of giving them the benefit of the doubt. Frankly even the thought of such an odd group existing in theory was getting more and more silly by the second as well, enough she would cast out the thought ultimately with a small sigh of her own.

"Lillianna...Steiner," the white-haired girl would say calmly to MacKensie between breaths, doing so as she worked to pull her focus back onto the people seemingly starting to gather around her before things got too much to take in the spur-of-the-moment, "Miss MacKensie, if I may ask...do you know anything of what's going on here?"

"Excuse me one moment."

Filling the device with water, the Druid ran towards the coffin and the new woman who had emerged from it. With a smile, he held up the canteen.

"I have some water, if you'd like. I'm Adam, it's nice to meet you."

A rather tall man, wasn't he? Certainly taller than the first one, but this time bearing the much-needed gift of water. Accepting the canteen into her hands, Lillianna would start to slowly drink the fresh liquid inside despite the presence of her body telling her to chug it down to cool off. But this was no different than drinking some after some vigorous exercise, rather than doing so on a brief work break on the beach and having to chug it fast, and so she visibly held back some despite her thirst in this vein of things.

“Don’t chug it down miss, just take it slow. What's your name? Mine is Joji.”

...Ok, so apparently the bar for tallness around here was only growing. Joji looked to be nearly seven feet tall!!! But sound advice at least, so he seemed to be somewhat a level-headed person perhaps. Albeit she now had two containers of water, which was a bit too much overall, though as she topped off the first one Adam had given her was welcome to top off her thirst at least.

Not that she'd force herself to finish this flask of water or such, that'd be too much water to drink in one go in the first place! But she'd drink a small bit more before handing it back to Joji with the water flask only about half-full. She then swallowed the last bit of water in her mouth.

"I'm Lillianna Steiner."

"Oh, and is this yours?"

Hmm? Oh! Yes, that thing had been inside of the sarcophagus with her. So certainly it would make sense if it was hers for some reason, or had been given to her by who or whatever had brought her here.

With that in mind she would nod at Adam before taking the returned staff in her left hand, her attention turning to it and her right eyebrow raising a bit as she felt a 'thrum' of something inside of it. Electricity? Magic? Some advanced device for LARP-ing? Either way it felt oddly comfortable to hold despite the ancient look of it and very ornate design. Were this something she'd found back home out in the field, she'd have kept this in a museum to say the least.

Yet it was also about this time, handing back the canteen she'd been provided to Adam once more, that Lillianna noticed the weight of the filled water skin on her person. Not that the backpack had made it any easier.

But the crowd would only continue to rapidly grow about her as well, apparently with more 6-foot-plus giants coming over to where she was.

"Zell Brooks. A pleasure. I take orders from that guy."

He seemed to point at the first man who'd run over to help her.

"Where combat tactics and strategy are concerned, he's the smart the one. He decides when to sacrifice me for the greater good, and I do it."

Then he pointed at MacKensie next to him.

"I watch this one's back so she doesn't get herself killed. Honestly, I must've saved her ass like four times already."

She looked at the man's eyes as he spoke to her, at least giving a name as well to put to his face, but something about his final comment and wink felt somewhat too...cheeky? That was the first word that came to her mind. Like he was some jock guy from the football team back when she'd still gone to the campus of-...ah. Ok. Now it made a bit of sense, or if nothing else at least it informed her current first impressions of Zell right now if nothing else.

Only time would tell otherwise, but before she could do more yet another figure approached her with a welcome of sorts.

"Hey names Arthur, seems you had a rough ride."

"Well, waking up in a large stone sarcophagus, being dressed for a ren faire, and somehow using magic for the first time can be a tad panic-inducing I would think."

She didn't hold back on that response, mostly notable in the exasperation, frustration, and a little concern in her tone as she spoke in this particular case. It was like everyone with two legs was coming over to where she was! Did no one have any sense of tact in giving a person who was calming down some space to breathe? Not that she was claustrophobic, frankly she'd been in worse, but the surprise of all of this had been a good bit jarring when combined with her changed attire, magic, and all the rest.

Well, she at least had her nerves back under management once more. So it didn't all much matter by this point if she was to be honest. At least it meant the people here didn't seem to be inherently bad either. That was a good thing, though how she came off to the others was also important. Ah.

"...Apologies, all. I was a bit snappy there. But this is all...I can't even fully fathom it right now. What's next, a necromanc-"

Her eyes originally looked back toward MacKensie, the only other female there, but something else began to catch her attention as she suddenly paused in speaking and looked toward something beyond the people around her. Or rather, a bunch of somethings beyond this little group formed around her. Oh. OH!!!

Were those a bunch of skeletons lying about with weapons? And was that the bloodied corpse of an OGRE?!?!

MacKensie opened her mouth to answer Lillianna's question but was cut off by the offerings of aid and introductions from the rest of the group. Happily, she watched with her hands together as if in prayer, as the newcomer recieved water and welcome, one by one. It was somewhat out of character for the university student - perhaps it was post battle feelings - but she was suddenly so giddy with excitement as she observed the togetherness that everyone was showing. This was something she could get behind! This was something she could relate to - to focus on - to maintain a positive mental attitude. Most of her life she'd taken part in ballet, athletics, archery, and while these were all individual sports and activities, each one of them promoted team spirit in preparation for competition. Team spirit provided a power that no one person could achieve. Common desires to aspire to. Common goals to set. Communal willpower to win. MacKensie was buzzing with energy, even with James' spell fully worn off.

"I watch this one's back so she doesn't get herself killed."

Lord have mercy, I will kill this man!

"Honestly, I must've saved her ass like four times already."

MacKensie held her breath, cheeks bloating a little, and held in an explosion of anger that saved her from being extremely unlady-like. Her hilarious facial expression only lasted a moment before she turned to Zell. "Why you... I..." She suddenly stopped and narrowed her eyes suspiciously before realising she'd just given him the exact reaction he wanted. She let out a breath, trying not to laugh, turned away and shook her head. Part of her was still angry as she tried to think of a response that didn't sound childish and petty. "I'll have you know, it was I who saved his life," she speed-talked to Lillianna, then gave a Zell a "Hmph," without even looking at him.

BIG fail on the whole 'not sounding childish' thing. Damn you, Zell.

Getting back into the group conversation, she nodded along with Arthur's observation and Lillianna's retort. Seemed plausible that it would be particularly tough on the woman and also Joji, seeing as they didn't have the comfort the rest of them had: A shared confusion. They awoke alone.

"...Apologies, all. I was a bit snappy there. But this is all...I can't even fully fathom it right now. What's next, a necromanc-"

MacKensie quietly and awkwardly laughed as she turned around to see the bones all over the floor, then turned back and tilted her head in concession. "This is a strange place, that is for sure," she agreed. Then she decided to answer the earlier question, or at least, she started with a bitesized piece of the answer. "None of us really understand how we ended up here. We arrived like you. But where we are travelling to now, we might find out."

And she left it at that to let it sink in, and also to let others say their parts too. As the conversation went on, MacKensie slowly faded into the background, listening for a moment and then taking her leave. She walked over to where Vadim, Clive and Fenna were, and where the travelling supplies were being brought.

"I am so glad you both came back after helping the residents," she told her two comrades, offering them a smile.

She grabbed a bedroll and after a moment to consider, she hooked it horizontally onto the underside of her backpack, then began packing a portion of the supplies away for herself, making sure to grab a waterskin. She found her eyes straying over to Fenna and what the woman was wearing. Her pants seemed much more suited for hiking, as did her boots. MacKensie herself was in simple blue leggings and her brown shoes were made of soft material, looking like something a medieval jester might where. Still, the soles of the shoes were hardy and she felt light on her feet. The leggings provided full range of movement which was suited for her newfound acrobatic ability. But if she snagged them on a bramble or bush and they tore, it could prove annoying.

"Did everyone get out okay?" she asked Fenna, eager to hear how the other half of the rescue went. She eagerly listened to any details Fenna had to provide. Once that subject was covered, she had to compliment the older woman, who was indeed a picture of quiet strength each time MacKensie had looked at her. "I hope I can stay as strong as you, throughout this ordeal." Then she looked at Clive. "Both of you, really," she added. Perhaps the woman-to-woman thing resonated with her more, but Clive had also been unwavering and steadfast in his resolve. Like Fenna, he'd just taken things in stride so well, or so it seemed from the outside looking in.

"Agreed," Fenna said as Clive suggested preparing for the journey ahead. She watched the sarcophagus as Clive mentioned the person in it would need help, but as others were already rushing to their aid Fenna remained where she was. There was no reason to crowd the new arrival needlessly. "Looks like she has all the help she needs," she commented. "Good job on the skeletons, by the way."

Maybe now was a good moment to check the travel supplies they had been given, and the pouches on her belt. For some reason, this place had given her clothes and items she hadn't owned before. There were definitely useful items for trekking through the unknown land, but she missed the modern-day tools back home. Thinking about home hurt, so she returned her focus to the here and now instead. She had seen a map and compass in Adam's hands and she definitely wanted to have a look at that as well, but he was tending to the new arrival so that would have to wait for a better opportunity.

She looked up when MacKensie asked her if everyone had gotten out safely. "Thankfully, yes," Fenna replied. "The last ones to leave were a mother and her child and the evacuation went smoothly." She smiled at the younger woman as she mentioned she hoped she'd stay as strong as her. "With the bravery you showed when you went to the gate to protect the people here, there is no doubt in my mind you possess a great strength yourself. I'm sure we'll get through this."

Adam watched the scene around him as everyone tried helping this new woman in their own way. Joji was one he’d have to be wary of; the way he ordered the soldier to get the water seemed brutish and unnecessary. At least he showed some kindness to the lady, so maybe this Japanese-looking man could work together with everyone else effectively, but he’d have to wait and see how things went. With Zell’s introduction, he simply rolled his eyes. Not at the part about James being good at tactics; that much could be possible. The Druid hadn’t interacted with him much, but he seemed to be a decent sort so far, being the first to help out the newbie in the first place. The part about “saving MacKensie four times already” was what led to the reaction. Based on her aim earlier and her behavior versus his, Adam was not impressed by the swordsman.

"I'll have you know, it was I who saved his life."

Yeah, that sounded right, but MacKensie sounded like she was unsatisfied by the interaction. Adam patted her shoulder and smiled in what he hoped would be seen as an act of support. There was too much going on to say more and he didn’t want to confuse this new girl. Arthur seemed to introduce himself cordially; it was good that this giant of a man wasn’t a stereotypical “big dumb man.” Having the time to contemplate it now, the Druid was impressed at how the anchor wielder took on an ogre basically by himself. Perhaps they could talk later about their respective battles, but right now wasn’t the time for this. Right now it was time to help this woman, Lillianna Steiner she said her name was, as she asked MacKensie what was going on.

Adam smiled as Lillianna accepted the canteen and drank the water. She introduced herself again, then took the staff with a nod. So it was hers. Good. She seemed to be in tune with it, like he was with the plants he controlled. Maybe she was some kind of magic user?

"Well, waking up in a large stone sarcophagus, being dressed for a ren faire, and somehow using magic for the first time can be a tad panic-inducing I would think."

Yeah, she was, and she seemed stressed out. Understandable, given the circumstances. Adam knew he certainly wasn't calm when he arrived in this new world. The man took a step back to give the woman some room.

"...Apologies, all. I was a bit snappy there. But this is all...I can't even fully fathom it right now. What's next, a necromanc-"

The Druid followed Lillianna’s eyes to the skeletons that were there. MacKensie did her best to reassure the woman, speaking kindly and factually. Hopefully that helped, but Adam wasn’t about to leave the poor lady more confused than she had to be.

“No problem. What you see is the remains of a battle. These creatures attacked the town, so we helped defend it. If it helps at all, I have some kind of plant magic, so I understand the shock of it all. I know it’s a scary situation, so if you need any help, please let me know. We’re all in this together.” Adam smiled, having spoken sincerely, hoping his words helped the mage at least a little.

"Mhm," the southern man inclined his head, the little lady would be in good hands or at least some good hands that french feller' though? Hoo-wee that boy seemed to have the tact of a ornery mule and the charm of a snake oil salesman.

"Them scary lookin' Halloween decorations? Oh miss that was nothin' just doing what any good man would do." he shook his head with a chuckle and a modest smile on his face "Name's Clive, Clive Michel and where I'm from we don't turn our backs when folk need our help." adjusting the cloth sack he had slung over his shoulder the farmer removed his glove and extended a hand to Fenna pausing as the rather annoyed looking lady from before approached them.

"Bravery ain't got nothing to do with helping folk miss, it's about helping people when they need helping no matter what." Clive let his hand drop after Fenna either shook it or not and pulled his glove back on turning to Mackenzie.

"And I ain't never turned my back on folk who need my help." Clive was not a man to let others suffer when people don't do the work their supposed to or not extend a hand to help their fellow neighbor at least that value had been ingrained on the Texan and he upheld that value to the highest regard.