There wasn't long left before the dark of evening. Until then, the group of adventurers would enjoy a warm breeze and a beautiful slow-changing sunset sky...................



It was true that Lillianna had no outdoors skills to speak of, but with hard work and determination combined with her extremely high IQ and academic understanding of the world, she managed to build a nice and sturdy shelter for herself.

Zell sighed as he watched the orange, lightly clouded sky. The crackling logs, the clean air tinged with cooking fish and tobacco smoke. The warm, gentle breeze. A group of men and women, strangers sure, but bonded with mystery and a near-death heroic experience. It was actually kinda nice.

Behind this layer of face-value satisfaction was thoughts about a future battle. Whether or not they'd be so lucky next time. What they'd be facing off against. And also what it meant to be an adventurer. What Peter and Paul had told him about people who bore the Gift of the Source Crystal. It was all a lot to take in, but Zell had used the hours spent travelling to sort and process the information.

And then, under all of that, deep in his mind. What was his sister doing right now? His father's joke that, 'That boy will never come back from university,' as his parents recieved news that he'd failed another year. How right you were, Dad. His mother crying at his funeral. Everyone - he'd never get to see them again, or even hear how they were doing.

Keep it buried. Deal with it another time, maybe. Occupy yourself with The Now.

When Fenna and MacKensie were back in camp, Zell decided to speak up about this Formation business. It was getting dark and who knew if they'd get attacked in the night. Best to put everyone on the same page now, and not regret giving his team mates crucial information when he had the chance. But how to do it? Well, in a group full of strangers with no leader, a polite and considerate person might tip-toe and appease, ask and assure. Zell however... he'd do this the only way he knew how.

"Alright guys, listen up," he said loudly enough for everyone to hear. "I've got something important to show you. Might be the difference between life and death as an adventurer, so gather round."

He started drawing in the dirt, a series of shapes as he explained. "Teams like ours - or Adventurer Parties, as they're referred to in this world - use party formations to keep themselves safe in difficult battles, and to get the best out of each member of the group. Until we learn more about our own abilities and how best to fight as one, this is the formation we will be using."



"Joji, Clive, Arthur, myself..." he looked at the men in question. "The weapon-handlers. Melee class. The frontline. The muscle. The meatheads," the last bit he added a grin, then pointed at the half-circle. "We position oursleves around this arc. Our job is to protect the magic-users and the rangers. To give them space cast and fire. Arthur and Clive at the front. Joji and I on either flank. We keep ourselves in between the enemy and the rest of the group, and they have our backs."

He pointed at the triangle. "Lillianna, Adam, James. You guys need to be here." Then he pointed at the X's. "Fenna, MacKensie, you position yourselves on either side of our wizards. As Rangers, you can shoot too, but your speed and melee weapons mean you can take a bit of contact, defend yourselves and the magic users should any enemies get through our formation."

"Our most important piece of this formation is our Cleric: James," he grinned at James, knowing this might make him uncomfortable. "James is the only one who can use healing magic, which makes him key to all of us surviving battles. And perhaps more importantly; he's proven himself a capable leader in battle. He has a voice loud and strong enough that even hardened soldiers will listen to. And he has the level-headedness and wits and make good tactical decisions in middle of a chaotic battle." Zell pointed at the traingle again. "Here James can see everyone and everything, we can all hear him and he can make adjustments to our focus or our direction mid-battle."

Zell made sure he met the eyes of each of his teammates as he talked. There was no uncertainty in his voice as he spoke, and he didn't rush his words, nor lag.

"It's kinda like football. When the other team has possession, the front line has to press as a unit, to protect the midfield, where lie the technical players, the smart ones who make the magic happen - no pun intended. And then you have the Wingers - the Rangers - using the space of the flanks to maximise their speed and agility, and make critical incisive moves into enemy territory, turning defense into attack in the blink of an eye."

Anyway...

"That's the formation. It should carry us through a tough battle until we can learn more. These aren't strict positions - you don't have to stand in that one spot. Battles are fluid and dynamic. It's just a rough idea of where we should be to protect eachother, with the formation pointing towards wherever the enemy has the most numbers. Memorize your position. Memorize everyone elses. Teamwork makes the dreamwork," he finished. "Alright, enough."

And he was done. If there were any questions, he would answer them, or reiterate any points again to make them clear. But he didn't make an effort to check if anyone had questions, nor did he look like he cared. If no one said anything, he would go back to his admiration of the sunset sky and wait for dinner to be done.

"Bring that fish over here partner, smoked fish ain't made in tobacco smoke."

Adam agreed with the farmer. He was actually about to do something similar before the suggestion, but it wasn't like Clive could have known that. The Druid sat next to the guy and began "gutting them fish." The farmer seemed friendly enough, which was good, and his mood seemed to match that.

"Anyone wanna tell the little lady or should we just let that girl make us a fancy cottage?"

Adam chuckled awkwardly at that remark; he knew Clive wasn't being malicious at all, but the Druid's concern earlier was only intensified by that statement. "I'll check on her after I finish cooking these fish," Adam responded, his tone serious as he focused on his task. Having done this many times in the past, the cooking was almost automatic to the man. He briefly glanced up and smiled at MacKensie and Fenna upon their return, then paid attention to Zell's speech while finishing the cooking. All in all, it was a solid idea, though it left Adam even more perplexed about the man. He had made the comment about death, had fallen off of an ogre or something, and was now planning strategy (though his expression at the end suggested he didn't care very much about it). Just who was this guy? The Druid would have to talk to him at some point to get a better sense of him. That would have to happen later though; too much was happening right now and Adam wanted this plan to succeed, so he made his own contribution.

"Sounds good, though I'll need to coordinate with the people in front about directions so we don't get lost. That shouldn't be a problem, right?" The question was directed at Clive, as he was the one sitting next to him. After listening to the farmer's answer, Adam would take the cooked fish from the fire, dividing them into even portions so everyone could have some and using the sticks someone had prepared as impromptu plates for the meals. 

"Please, help yourselves!" After inviting everyone to grab a meal, Adam took two of them and stood up. "I should check on our newest teammate." This last, he said at a lower volume, though still with the kindness of the statement before that. It was good timing as well; the Druid heard the mage's stomach rumble, so she would probably appreciate the meal.

Adam walked the short distance between the fire and the new cottage and knocked on the wall. He wasn't sure if it was strictly necessary since it was so close to everyone, but it felt like the respectful thing to do. "Lillianna, I made some fish. Do you want any? I can set it here if you'd rather eat alone, or you can join us by the fire. Or I can join you in there, whatever you want." The Druid would do whatever she wanted here; that was the respectful thing to do, after all.

When Fenna returned to the camp she hadn't done as much exploring as she had wanted to do, but the time had been spent better. Mackenzie seemed back to her former self again. The others seemed to have kept busy as well and the camp looked like a decent camp already, one was even building a whole shelter. She glanced at the sky. It didn't seem like it would start to rain and the evening didn't seem too cold yet. She weighed the pros and cons of building a shelter and decided for herself it wasn't worth the effort, but who knew, maybe it'd start pouring halfway through the night and she'd regret the decision.

She listened to Zell's strategy and examined the figures he drew in the dirt. "That is a good strategy," she said to him. "When it's time for battle we should try to get into this formation. During travel, someone who can navigate the land should go first. I'm fairly good at recognising animal tracks and the likes, so there may be times I will go ahead of the group."

When the fish was done, Fenna grabbed a portion. It would take some time to get used to eating like this. Back home she'd have potatoes and vegetables with a bit of meat. Well, as long as they wouldn't have to eat bugs like Bear Gryllis, things would be fine. The rations contained some kind of crackers and she ate one with the fish.

"We should probably take turns keeping watch during the night," she commented while eating. "Maybe in pairs? It's a strange land after all, and who knows, maybe some others will be interested in that cube we have."

@Saiyan @xenon

Joji Yamazaki

Joji again felt like an asshole for smoking in the other’s vicinity. “Sorry.” He stood up and walked a few feet away. Finishing off the cigarette before stomping on the roach. Again feeling like an asshole once again. He coughs softly before sitting back down with the rest of the group. “Thank you.” He said to Adam with a bow of his head. Taking a piece of the fish, a tiny part of him wished he had a plate or something for this. However, he was used to eating raw fish with his hands. Taking a good hunk with his bare hands taking a rather large bite. Slowly finishing chewing his food before speaking. “This reminds me of when my friends and I tried to fish. My friends would always catch the biggest fish, while I would always get a boot or some kind of garbage.” He chuckled thinking back to that particular memory. He took another bite out of his piece of fish.

Joji leaned in close listening intensely to Zell’s battle formation. He was more than glad to be the muscle of the group. His intention was to try and protect the others as best he could. “From what I’ve been able to do, it seems my abilities include increased durability, speed, and strength. So I’m okay with being upfront and protecting the rest of you guys. Of course with the rest of the other guys up front.” He had protected high ranking gangsters a bunch of times before. So this would be no different. Expect of course he would be facing magical being, instead of harden criminals.

MacKensie placed her hand on Fenna's back; a silent thank you as they parted ways once in camp. The frenchwoman returned Adam's smile as she walked past the fire, then sat down on a small rock that was flat enough to make a comfortable seat, just next to the log-turned-bench. Covering her mouth as she yawned, she realised that she was absolutely ready for bedtime.

Seeing Clive for the first time without his hat on was quite the surprise. MacKensie wasn't sure what she was expecting so that she could be so surprised, but suffice to say that the red-headed farmer did look very different without his wide-brim hat.

She smiled as Joji apologised and went to finish his cigarette away from the group, acknowledging that the large man might look intimidating, but he also had manners. Her father had smoked cigars. Not often around MacKensie, but she'd smelled tobacco smoke enough times that it didn't really bother her. Perhaps now that same smell would be a comfort.

In her peripheral vision, she realised the presence of Lillianna's shelter and she looked over to see it, unsure of how she'd manage to miss it in the first place. The new woman was certainly industrious. As she looked on the pretty, white haired wizard, she realised that it would be probably best to make an effort to get to know her. After all, there were six men in the group and only three women - it might be comforting if Lillianna, Fenna and herself all had eachother to confide in. But that time seemed it wouldn't be now as Zell called everyone to attention. And it sounded important.

"...I've got something important to show you. Might be the difference between life and death as an adventurer, so gather round."

MacKensie got up and went around the back of the log to look over the broad shoulders of Zell and Joji at the shapes in the dirt, listening to Zell explain his idea for their battle formation. Her keen mind took it all in, visualising them all in it. She was no strategist, but when Adam, Fenna and Joji backed it as a good plan, MacKensie nodded along.

"I will do my part," she told everyone.

It was strange to hear Zell actually take something seriously. The entire day, no matter how intense, serious or scary things had gotten, the englishman had managed to treat everything like one big joke. But he'd been gathering information somehow and had put together a thoughtful plan. For this moment, it was clear in his voice and body language that he was... I don't know, she thought. Stronger? Whatever it was, it was nice to see. Like it was his better side coming out, if only briefly.

“This reminds me of when my friends and I tried to fish. My friends would always catch the biggest fish, while I would always get a boot or some kind of garbage.”

MacKensie laughed as she retrieved a plate and cutlery from her backpack and took some fish that was on offer. "Thank you so much, Adam. You are really looking after all of us so well." It was true. Adam had been there for all of them - making sure they didn't get lost and now making sure they were fed. He was taking this mission and their sense of comraderie very seriously, and it only inspired MacKensie to do the same. She made a promise to herself that she would let him know her gratitude at some point in the near future. She copied Fenna and added some rations to the fish on her plate to make a substantial meal. As she did so, she replied to Joji.

"So Joji, was that your past-time? To fish?" she asked, hoping he would talk more about it and maybe his life surrounding it. "I have never fished before, but it sounds like it could be fun, no?"

When Fenna spoke about taking turns keeping watch, as if on queue there was a wolf howl in the distance. MacKensie felt a pang of fear. "I can do that. Perhaps I could take one of the later turns, as I am about ready to collapse and this food will be the end of me. If we maybe have four shifts? That will be eight of us and one lucky person who can sleep all night," she chuckled. "I will take the last shift with someone, if that is okay?" Then she an idea. "I will ask Adam or Lillianna to join me."

Yes, if Adam joined her, then she could have a chance to express her gratitude for his hard work today. If Lillianna joined her then she could get to know her fellow female comrade a little better. She stayed with the group to enjoy the conversation and food for a while, but later, she went over to the pair at the shelter, told them about the watch-shifts and asked one of them to join her on the last shift.

Setting the bedrolls into the proper places and correctly took a little more time than he expected, both because they were no convenient modern equivalents where customer satisfaction(plus ergonomy) was the highest priority and because he had never gone camping in his life. Not that he didn't want to, just that he was always too busy doing something to really get into it, well at least he had figured out how they were supposed to be set just as the dinner was announced. Then he was pleasantly surprised when Zell decided to take the initiative and propose a sound strategic placement for all of them going forward, he had been toying with the idea of doing this but had shelved it as he didn't know how to breach the subject without sounding like an asshole giving orders (Which Zell somehow avoided, fucking charisma!).

He pointed at the triangle. "Lillianna, Adam, James. You guys need to be here." Then he pointed at the X's. "Fenna, MacKensie, you position yourselves on either side of our wizards. As Rangers, you can shoot too, but your speed and melee weapons mean you can take a bit of contact, defend yourselves and the magic users should any enemies get through our formation."

Yeah that made sense, he surprised himself by fighting against a few of the skeletons and winning but that was mostly because the skeletons were literally a bag of bones without a single muscle or any technique, against any other stronger opponent (cough ogers cough) he had been THE bag of bones without a single muscle or any technique and that was not an experience he wished to repeat. He had to admit Zell was surprising him by being this thoughtful, he hadn't taken the guy as an idiot or anything but it felt good to know someone else was watching out for the formations and the flow of human resources.

Satisfied he took a swing of his waterskin-

"Our most important piece of this formation is our Cleric: James," he grinned at James, knowing this might make him uncomfortable. "James is the only one who can use healing magic, which makes him key to all of us surviving battles. And perhaps more importantly; he's proven himself a capable leader in battle. He has a voice loud and strong enough that even hardened soldiers will listen to. And he has the level-headedness and wits and make good tactical decisions in middle of a chaotic battle." Zell pointed at the traingle again. "Here James can see everyone and everything, we can all hear him and he can make adjustments to our focus or our direction mid-battle."

"COUGH COUGH!!!"

-Then started coughing as the water flowed the wrong way at Zell's next words, glaring at the bastard as he tried to communicate his desire for seeing his demise while trying to get his breathing under control, fuck the praise, he could see the asshole's grin and knew that he had been played then swore under his breath as his mind caught on, even if he had some reservations against going for the position of a battle strategist he had to admit it would be good to be recognized as such, in the previous battle they were all disorganized and even though they had won a lot of people had died. The faces of the guards who followed him flashed through his mind.

Grimacing he contemplated another piece of information, Zell had called him and cleric and with the whole blessing/priestly robes+accesories/magic thing it wasn't difficult to arrive at some conclusions, even more so when he looked around him to his fellow weirdos and if focused saw walking tropes instead of people, he never thought that agreeing to watch a few anime shows with his cousin would someday come in handy but here he was, man if she knew she would be livid, she was always the one who talked about what she would do if it happened to her. Was she okay?

Angrily he snatche-FIREPAINDEATH carefully he grabbed one of the fish sticks and brought it to his mouth, at least the food was fresh, then he started listening to the conversations around him until one of them caught his attention. So the woman with the Falcon (Hawk? bird of pray?) wanted to set a watch through the night? Yeah, he could get behind that, it seemed like a good idea and the last thing this shitty day needed was a shitty night. As Mac volunteered to take the last watch he also offered and talked to the group in equal measure.

"I can take the watch in the middle if anyone wants to join me" Saying so he got to his feet and then started moving towards the stream. "If anyone needs me I will be in the stream trying to make sense of the magic thingy on my head"


The water of the stream was uncomfortably cold and his ankles didn't appreciate it, good thing he remembered to enter in just his small clothes so his robes weren't at risk of getting wet.

"Okay, Mr. voice in my head, I know you helped me last time and I am thankful for it, really I am, but telling someone to go jump in a river it's not a great way of explaining things!" He waited for a second for a response but sighed once it was clear that none would come, okay that only left the other option, before he could think and postpone it he started running towards the deeper part before jumping once he was sure it was enough to submerge him.

"Shit, shit, shit, this was a bad idea, this was a bad idea!" Of course it was at that point that he felt the symbol on his soul that represented the blessing start to, for a lack of a better term, fill up. At the rate it was filling up it was likely going to take him an hour to reach maximum and quick exiting and reentering at the stream told him that the charge didn't accumulate so he was going to be forced to spend the next hour inside the cold waters submerged to his chest.

Verga!

To say the work had been draining was at least a generally correct fact. All the walking about and trying to get things ready had been draining indeed, but she at least wasn't completely exhausted in the physical sense. She wasn't made of paper, after all! Albeit she wasn't used to doing things like this all the time after a long walk from elsewhere....so, yeah, it was very draining in the end if she took that all into account. But really, what about any of this was familiar to any of them?

They'd been tossed into another world in stone sarcophagi, she would have to note returning to the village to see if she could study them more at some point in the future perhaps, and the others had fought a battle before she even arrived. Tardy to the party as she was. Dead, pulled from home, whatever the case was it was pulling a bunch of people far from home. And that wasn't just easy for everyone. Hell, she'd barely found a home in the past few years she felt she could call one in the first place. A place that she could call a home for her. None of the pressure or the chores or the getting yanked around to interviews with colleges and professors and talking to researchers and all of that mess.

...It hadn't been all bad, er, really, but it hadn't been all good. She enjoyed proper discourse and discussion of scholastic topics or subjects she felt an interest in for sure, that wasn't a problem. But a lot hadn't been there either that other kids her age seemed to take in stride.

Field trips? Sleepovers? Finding Love? Going to see places far away?

She'd been to the beach before with her family on vacation, sure, but it hadn't been until living with her uncle she'd found the fun in it and a lot of other things for once in her life. The real fun in just...doing something, really. Or something like that? It was hard to put into words the sensation she'd felt at the time, even now being hard to really try to fathom. But it had been welcome more than anything in her life in a long time.

Shopping for a swimsuit with her uncle's girlfriend and daughters, lying on the beach to soak in a nice nap or read a book, talking with people her age without the bar of scholarship between them, all of it! Just things she'd never been able to do for herself had come after that, and then choosing her own path scholastically for the future had come in the wake of those things a time later.

Now it was all gone. Like a bag of weights she was trying to ignore, strapped to her heart and dragging down on it.

As a certain girl in an older work of fiction had once said: "We're not in Kansas anymore."

She welcomed the tiredness as the burn of her working muscles began to cool, the beating of her heart began to slow back down as her breathing slowed in turn, and the sweat cooled and evaporated from the surface of her skin and salty droplets sneakily rolled down her cheeks from the corners of her eyes. Even with the tiredness of making a shelter, it couldn't drain everything from her system it seemed.

But the line between which salty drops rolling over her face and skin were caused by the work, or the metaphorical bag of weight on her heart, didn't seem to much matter in the moment now either. Really it dredged up the crystal-clear image of her uncle smiling like a toothy-grinning idiot, and looking up at the roof of her little shelter and turning her head to look at the sides of it as well she couldn't help but feel the same stupid grin come onto her own face somehow as her stomach rumbled once again.

The big loveable dunce would have loved making something like this, she figured, then hitting the town for some fresh seafood at his favorite food truck. Heh....ah...

...

It wouldn't be too long before she'd hear someone walking over, however, and would sit up on the floor of her little shelter and wipe her face off on her right sleeve. Her left hand would briefly come to her head, however, as the dizziness from hunger and tiredness from work made her vision slightly spin. Grabbing her water skin as Adam came up to her, Lillianna would slowly drink up the rest of the water in it before putting it with where she set her backpack in the back corner of the shelter. Likewise the cube, in all of its odd shining metal glory, sat there hidden underneath her backpack as well.

"Lillianna, I made some fish. Do you want any? I can set it here if you'd rather eat alone, or you can join us by the fire. Or I can join you in there, whatever you want."

She didn't bother to go over to listen to Zell's discussion, which she assumed was strategy from what little she could see going on over there from her position, but Adam's offer was one she really couldn't refuse if her stomach had any say in it.

"I'll come to join you all, and some cooked fish sounds good to me about now after doing all of this...labor, as it were."

Lillianna would scoot over and dig underneath her backpack, taking out the cube again to keep it close to her. Just in case. Maybe it would respond or something this tim-

When Lillianna ran her fingers over the cubes surface, with magical intent in her mind, the cube shimmered for a split-second. That same Thrum she felt when she first held her staff, she felt again, but this was a very different type of Thrum.

It was a distant vibration, almost imperceptible, as if so very far away. And yet, in spite of the quietness of it, in her magically-proficient mind, she sensed immense power. But that was the only reaction from the cube she could earn.

The mage briefly paused as she looked at the cube with a raised eyebrow. A response, or at least a response of some kind. Very interesting-, no, fascinating even! Ultimately, however, she let out a small sigh and looked back to Adam.

"For now, it would be nice to get something to eat before my body tries to argue further-"

*Rumble*

...Food was a good plan, yes.

Zell's brow furrowed at the first response to the battle plan. He froze in confusion as he looked on the orange-stained clouds, then turned his head in Adam's direction, about to explain that this was just a formation for battle - not something they were expected to stay in at all times. Fortunately Fenna cut him off.

"That is a good strategy," she said to him. "When it's time for battle we should try to get into this formation. During travel, someone who can navigate the land should go first. I'm fairly good at recognising animal tracks and the likes, so there may be times I will go ahead of the group."

"Yeah, good idea," Zell said back to her, a note of confusion lingering in his voice. At least someone's listening properly. One thing about Fenna that was interesting to Zell was that; although the swordsman rarely heard her talk, when she did talk it had an important weight to it. She was sharp, alright. Content to stay in the background, it seemed, but always aware - no wasted words. Maybe she was just apprehensive, everyone being strangers n all, but she certainly wasn't no fool.

He looked over his shoulder and nodded to MacKensie when she subscribed to the plan, then shot a teethy snarl at Joji for the big guy's contribution. "Oorah, Meathead Unit, let's go," he growled, giving his fellow swordsman next to him a soft shoulder-bump.

He grabbed a portion of fish and put it on his plate, "Ppreciate it, Plant man," and when he sat back down, dumped a few rations on the plate as a nice side dish.

As he ate, distantly listening to MacKensie and Joji talking fishing, he enjoyed the slow-changing sky which was starting to wash out shades of red and purple. He realised that his whole life he'd never actually appreciated a sunset before. To him, it was just something to colour the City of London - maybe set the mood with a girl he was trying to sleep with. Something to accent his tiredness after a long day of football training, or a signal to jump in that shower and have a shave because it was going to be a wild night on the town. But a beautiful sunset wasn't just an accessory - it was a phenomenon amazing all on it's own. There was just always so much going on and so much to do, that he'd never took a moment to notice it.

Sweet.

"We should probably take turns keeping watch during the night," and there she was again; Fenna coming in hot with the wisdom. "Maybe in pairs? It's a strange land after all, and who knows, maybe some others will be interested in that cube we have."

After MacKensie and James offered themselves on shifts, Zell briefly raised his fork in the air. "I'll take the first watch. I doubt I'd sleep right away, anyway. Hey Clive, wanna jump on the first shift with me?"

Code Readers: While not necessarily magic-users themselves, Code Readers are exceptionally intelligent, highly skilled students of magic. Trained specifically in the understanding and handling of Source, Code Readers are employed to look into The Wellsprings, to pry knowledge and information about the world and current events. The majority of Code Readers reside and work in Capitol City, Northwestern Mytheria - the city built upon the largest Wellspring on the continent. This workforce is the premier source of news on happenings around Mytheria, supplying the governing branches of the Empire, the grand univerisity Gradua Lexica, the aristocracy and media outlets.



General Saladin; the Corruptor stood to attention in front of the communication portal, listening intently to the instructions of the Witch Queen. When she was done, he placed a hand on his heart and bowed slightly. "At once, my lady. My wish is your command."

In the east, in Azeroth, the Witch Queen's code readers had finally discovered information on the heroes who'd been summoned from another world, allowing her majesty to scry for their location much more easily. They had been found. Saladin was chosen to deal with the situation, which was both an honour and a curse. To execute his objective would mean a rise in his station. To fail would likely mean a fate worse than death. He would need to act fast. The heroes wore the Source Crystals, but they hadn't had the time to gain the experience and Source to become powerful yet. Nonetheless, he could not underestimate them. To take them out in one swoop, he would need to deploy power, but speed of travel was also a necessity. And they had in their possession, an Undead Control Core. That meant that precision would also be required. A delicate balance, to be sure.

In the end, he settled on summoning an elite operative; Zigmund.

"Yours orders, General," Zigmund asked as he stood in front of Saladin. He was an elemental ninja, an assassin. Having already proven himself by killing entire Gold Ranked Adventurer Parties all by himself, the magic-wielding martial artist would be perfect for a rag-tag bunch of newcomers who hadn't yet grown into their own skin.

Saladin cast an image of the targets, who were sat around a campfire eating, then brought up a second image of a map with a flashing light showing their location.

"Your primary objective is to retrieve the Control Core that this party has in their possession. Your secondary objective is to kill them all. The Source Code tells us that they fought a battle at the town of Hommas, southwest of here. Their current location suggests that they are en route to Valhiem. Do not let them reach the city. Catch them. Finish them. And return the core to me."

"It will be done, General."



Night time eventually fell upon The Heroes from the Sky. A couple of hours had passed since they all ate dinner and darkness had now settled in. Their only light was that from the campfire and a strong moonlight from above. Wolves howled as they began to hunt, but they sounded distant enough that the adventurers were safe from an attack. The clouds were thin and wispy, showing little chance of rain. With the wisdom of a well-scheduled watch and Fenna's falcon familiar, the party would be able to sleep safely without ambush.

MacKensie found herself sitting in quiet contemplation about just why James had returned to camp cold and wet. Of course, the man had been for a swim of sorts (she actually thought she'd just misheard him when he first left, and he was going to sit by the stream.) Why? She resolved on asking him about his powers, perhaps tomorrow. It would be a good idea to know about them for battle reasons, but in all honesty, she was just extremely curious. This world was truly a mystery, so like their Earth and yet seemingly so boundless in potential oddities.

After a while to digest her food, she finally gave in to her tiredness and stood up.

"I will try to sleep," she told everyone, giving them all a small smile. Her gaze lingered on Fenna a little longer than the others, giving the woman a little nod of thanks for lending her an ear and an embrace when she'd needed it most. "Good night everyone."

And with that, went over to the bedrolls and lay down, putting her hood up and wrapping her cloak around herself for some comfort. The floor was hard and she was without a pillow - feeling so uncomfortable that she wondered if she'd sleep at all. Within minutes she was out cold.

@xenon @Zool @Saiyan @Teyao

Joji Yamazaki

Joji shook his head listening to MacKensie asking him what his hobbies were. “No not really, I mostly liked to tend to my garden, bowling, practice my swing at the local battering center, play mahjong, coking, or sing karaoke.” He felt embarrassed because he likes to sing. It kinda damaged his image of being a tough guy. But his friend had gone with him multiple times to the local karaoke bar. There they would get drunk and sing their favourite songs. In fact, he didn’t think any of those activities were very fitting for someone like him. But he didn’t care it was things that he liked to do in his spare time.

“I can join you on the night watch.” He said to James who wanted to stay up and protect the others. He didn’t mind helping out and keeping watch for any asshole trying to fuck with them. He stood with James keeping watch, worried about if he would ever get back home. But really he didn't think he deserved to be brought back to the real world. Not after all the terrible shit he's done.

The man kept vigil until it was time to rest. But he didn't get much sleep from the many concerns he had on his mind.

After Adam failed at completely listening to Zell (though he did wonder what would happen if someone snuck up on them), he was at least able to succeed in bringing food to Lillianna, who seemed to be doing okay for now. She decided to join everyone at the campsite, so he smiled and nodded, handing her one of the fish. She didn't seem to want to join MacKensie on the last shift though, so the Druid agreed to do so. Not that he minded, of course; it would be nice to get to know the Ranger better.

The man sat back next to Clive following that, happy to see everyone enjoying the fish and acknowledging with kindness the thanks he was given. He was content to stay in the background and eat his own serving while listening to the conversation. It had been a long day, so the "plant man" didn't really want to stay up too much longer. When people started going to sleep, Adam felt that was a good sign for him to do that as well, so he said good night and went to his bed roll. 

James had done a good job of setting them up; one more thing to thank him for. Less important than potentially saving his life, to be sure, but comfortable sleep was important too. With his experience camping, it wasn't difficult for the Druid to get comfortable in this sort of environment and he soon fell asleep.

After everyone retired, Saiyan got up and walked over to a tree that was providing a canopy above the campsite. He folded his arms and leaned against the trunk, crossing an ankle over the other as he looked on the surround. He could barely see anything, making him wonder just how effective a sentry he could be in this darkness.

What. A. Fucking. Day.

Zell let out an audible breath. So far he'd just gone along with the flow, but finally he had a moment to himself. In his mind he envisioned his brain with legs and arms, stood with it's back to a crowd of anthropomorphised questions who were like, 'er excuse me.' The brain was trying to ignore them, but they started walking up and tapping it on the shoulder. 'Can we have some answers now please?'

To delay having to answer any those questions, the swordsman shook his head, annoyed. "Those traffic lights were fucking red," he muttered into the night. "I hope that dumbass gets locked up."

He had a second chance at life. But it just happened to be in a world that was about to get destroyed unless something changed. Not much of a second chance, really. That police chief, Vadim, said he and the others were here for a reason. Could it be true? Was this some kind of destiny? Were they supposed to be the difference-makers? And was that difference more than just playing U.P.S for this skeleton cube thingy? More importantly, what were the options here? He'd told Joji that he was down to kill the Witch Queen - that he had nothing better to do. His trademark nonchalance. But even in the short time Peter and Paul had talked about adventurers, some of the famous ones sounded unbelievabley powerful. Ten times more powerful than Zell's team. Dante Valeron - the leader of the party; The Good Fight, and chairman of the Council of Heroes - would obliterate those ogres and skeletons on his own? If that was true, and this same famed adventurer... this same Council of Heroes... haven't been able to help The Empire win a single battle!?

What the hell are we expected to pull off?

He eventually went to sit back down on the log, watching the campfire slowly die down. It all sounded so insurmountable. But if he wanted this second chance at life, he'd have to fight for it. He'd have to get stronger - get to the Adventurer's Guild, find out how to get this Source stuff fast. Whatever it takes.

For himself. For his new friends. For his new world. But first order of business - delivering this cube.

He stretched and yawned, then cracked the kinks out of his neck. "Those lights were red," he muttered again tiredly.

A little later, he woke James and Joji for their shift on watch, then lay flat on his back with a hand for his pillow and fell asleep.

"I'll take the first watch. I doubt I'd sleep right away, anyway. Hey Clive, wanna jump on the first shift with me?" the southern man waved his hat with a free hand as the wind changed and blew the smoke in his and James' direction, coughing he nodded curtly "Sounds mighty fine there..." he smiled agreeing with the fancy accented man, for a second the man's name escaped him then he snapped a finger "Oh pardon my manners, Zell, almost forgot your darn name." Clive chuckled, finishing off the fish and wiping his hands on the leg of his pant.

Their watch had been rather uneventful, though from the other side of the tree where the farmer leaned he was whistling a soft tune, watching the stars without much worry. When their watch was up, Clive rested but his attention was always there ready to wake up when he needed to.

She would take the fish Adam offered her with an almost desperate haste, mostly as her body wanted to much into something edible as soon as possible. As quickly as possible at that! Frankly she'd come over to the others already biting into her fish with a hungry fervor, tearing into the flaky meat on its side without so much as an ounce of hesitation. Yet as much as stuffing her face with fish was helping the hunger in her stomach and ache in her body, the rushed eating had hit her like a ton of bricks despite trying to and eventually managing to slow herself down near the end of her eating spree.

As if she hadn't made enough of a fool of herself by now...panicked on entry, fumbling about for a little shelter as the others had actually bothered to do more productive things, and now scarfing down a fish like she was some starving five year old without self-control! She'd been too embarrassed to say a thing at the fire otherwise, just sitting there and fumbling around with the cube and afraid of making eye contact.

Heck by the time MacKensie had asked about which of them would like to join her on the final watch, she'd slammed herself face-first into a fish to start eating and Adam had then volunteered to take the final watch with her.

In the end it all felt...isolating, to a certain extent. Not surprising given her aptitude for failure. Hah.

She'd not had much of, if really any, chance to talk to anyone more individually save for Adam thus far. Not even spending any distinct time to try to talk to either of the only other two women on the team at that. Just floundering around making a useless little shelter, scarfing down food and silencing herself out of mortified embarrassment, and failing to volunteer to help anyone with anything meaningful for the group. All in the span of a few hours since her, most likely in her mind, probable death at the hands of a loose beach umbrella to the head and consequent kidnapping to another world.

She missed her bed. She missed her uncle. She missed any sort of friends being around. She missed a good book to read, and the feeling of the salty ocean air running over her skin as she walked on the beach under the light of a full moon. She missed it all.

At the same time, however, she had to keep doing something. Anything. The moment she gave into that ever-looming ball of those thoughts in the back of her head-...no. It wouldn't come to that. It couldn't come to that. Keep focus. Keep doing something, working at the next little goal or task ahead of her.

The whole thing was so very vexing, if not personally exasperating, that it was ridiculous to think about! Perhaps she was overthinking a bit, however, that wouldn't be the first time. Yes. Even so, she'd sat by the fire until she was virtually the last one, before meekly putting some more wood on it, looking about, and taking up back at her little shelter to try to settle in for the night.

A giant pair of eyes, staring down at her from the blackness of a void. A woman's eyes, judging by the shape...deep red were their hue.

They stared at her, dwarfing her. They marked her. They inspired fear. They radiated power.

...And then Lillianna would wake.

The mage shot up in place, bumping her head on the roof of her shelter with a small clatter but not damaging it at least as her head bounced back down onto the floor of the shelter. It wasn't a big noise, or at least the biggest noise, but a small little disturbance if nothing else. All the same, she would stay lying down for the moment as one hand came up to rub her head...the other clinging tightly to the cube itself still (having been sleeping with it in her arms).

"Oww..."

Adam got out of his bedroll when he was woken up, thanking the person who did so. While he did want to sleep a little longer, the man knew he had an important task to take care of, plus he wanted everyone to get some rest. Fortunately the Druid had gone camping on many occasions, so once he was awake, getting adjusted to the night was pretty easy. After he looked around to make sure nothing was amiss, the plant magic user sat on the log, enjoying looking at the starry sky until MacKensie joined him.

When MacKensie was roused from sleep, her eyes fluttered open and she looked around, before smiling and thanking the person for waking her. As she rose to her feet, she stretched her neck to one side and rolled her shoulders to loosen up. Sleeping on the hard ground would definitely take some getting used to. Joining Adam to sit on the log, she whispered a "Hello," to the young man, then covered her mouth to yawn.

"Yesterday was quite a day, no?" she said, giving him a glance before looking up at the stars. She didn't know the exact time but it probably wouldn't be more than a few hours before dawn broke. "I am still a little shell-shocked from it all."

"You and me both," Adam quietly responded, "Getting interrogated by guards, fighting evil creatures, and adjusting to a new world after...you know. It would be a lot to deal with for anyone." The man emphasized the last sentence in an empathetic way, looking at the Ranger as he spoke.

"Yes," MacKensie conceded. "All things considered, I think we performed admirably," she added with a reassuring nod to herself. There was a short silence. "Since leaving Hommas, you have been exceptional, Adam. Staying our course to Valhiem, finding this nice place for camping and so much more. I see; you care so very much. We are lucky to have you."

It was funny; Adam had just been thinking how nobody had thanked him for navigating, and now here he was getting praised like a king. By MacKensie, of course. A part of him wondered if she was like this with everyone or just him, but the majority of the Druid's thought process at that moment was that she likely didn't feel that way about him and it was foolish to expect anything of that sort to happen at a time when they might be fighting a Witch Queen and her army.

Even so, he couldn't help blushing slightly at the compliment as he smiled, grateful that the darkness hid it. Or hid it well enough for plausible deniability, at least.

"Aw, thank you. I just do the best I can," Adam replied, "and your arrows back at Hommas were impressive also. You were very brave back there." We're lucky to have you too, he almost added to that.

"Thank you," she replied with a sudden rise in her energy, excited to get the next part out. "I would probably be even better with a regular bow, as that is my specialty, but I am really enjoying this crossbow. I feel like a gunslinger from the wild west." She chuckled, eyes closed, feeling a little stupid for saying it. "As for bravery, I suppose it was a combination of instinct, this Gift..." she looked at the crystal on the back of her left hand. "...and James' magical blessing. All of these things, plus... well... I have had everything and everyone I love taken from me." That brought her energy back down to normal. "It is not a nice feeling. I did not wish that to happen to any of the residents of that town. I was determined to help."

A sudden noise drew her attention to the darkness. On appraisal, it sounded like something small, shuffling through some bushes. Nothing to be alarmed about. Then an owl hooted. Night time in nature was almost as busy as day-time.

Adam understood MacKensie's feelings about her weapon. The plant magic, while not physical in the same way, had grown (pun not intended) on him too. He understood the woman's feelings about losing the ones she loved even more. Had she seen him earlier by the stream, she would have gotten visual proof of that.

After following MacKensie's eyes to where the noise came from, and seeing she was satisfied it wasn't anything dangerous, the man spoke. "I get it. I lost the ones I love too. My parents, little brother, friends - I'll never see any of them again." There was sadness in his voice, for obvious reasons. "I'm not some combat prodigy or tactical genius, but if there are innocent people who need help, I have to do the right thing and help them. The loss...like you said, it isn't nice."

MacKensie nodded sadly. A moment passed in silence as she thought about his loss and her own. Along with the sorrow came an underlying anger too. It wasn't fair. They'd had their whole lives ahead of them. So many years left to live, to love, to learn, to enjoy. Gone. And how their families must feel? It was so hard to wrap her head around. Seeking to avoid wallowing in misery this moment, she tried to shed light on a nicer aspect of this whole thing: Rememberance. Common ground.

"You have a little brother?" she asked him, a small bittersweet smile creeping at the corners of her mouth. "I also do too." Feeling slightly awkward - hoping this was not too soon or invasive - she sat on her hands, then asked. "Please... tell me about him."

MacKensie also had a brother, it seemed, and she wanted to learn about his. What a nice thing to have in common. Adam's expression became a match his friend's, cheering up a bit as he recalled the kid he lived with most of his life.

"Oh, Eric is a character. A real nerd, really into stuff like video games and Dungeons and Dragons, stuff that reminds me of this world a bit. He likes to make jokes that reference these things, so I don't usually get them. Super smart, too; he'll probably end up becoming a rich programmer or something. He's only 15, so he has a few years before that though. Kinda loud and kind of a pain at times, for sure." At this, the man chuckled a bit before he resumed speaking, his smile having gradually gotten somewhat wider as he described his brother, "but he's a good guy and I love him."

Adam was glad MacKensie had asked her question, but he didn't want to speak too long. Instead, out of genuine curiosity and care for his friend, he asked "what about yours? I'd like to know."

Her guard dropped as soon as he started talking, the joy in his heart infectious as it came out. "Eric," she said after he was finished. "He sounds delightful."

At the question of her own brother, she smiled and looked at her knees sightlessly, remembering his face. "Xander just turned 19 years old, not three weeks ago. He was a little spoiled growing up." They both were, but MacKensie being the eldest sibling, naturally had to grow up faster. She snorted softly in amusement. "So very annoying. We were close, but fought like cat and dog. Nonetheless, I remember watching him at his family birthday celebration... handling himself and everyone with such competence and maturity... I thought to myself; he's grown into a fine young man. He is much like Papa: He has strong principles and a keen mind, with ambition and work ethic that has come to match it. I know he will be okay."

She smiled at the red-eyed man. "At least he will not be fighting Witch Queens, no?" she chuckled. "He and Eric are spared of that mild inconvenience, thankfully."

Adam smiled and nodded to MacKensie when she complimented his brother and fondly paid attention to her as she described her own, remembering his own arguments with Eric as the woman described her fights. When the Ranger made her joke about Witch Queens, the man laughed a bit.

"Ah, yes, a mild inconvenience. Fighting evil is easy, we'll just walk up to them and win by looking at them." The Druid chuckled, then sighed. "If only it were that easy." His smile quickly returned though. "Your brother sounds great. Your father too, from what you've said." That brought to mind his own father and Adam's desire to make him proud. The man momentarily wondered if MacKensie felt similarly about hers, but he thought the question was too intrusive to ask. Instead, he went with a statement.

"Yes, from what you've said, it sounds like we both have wonderful families."

She nodded earnestly. "I think so," she agreed.

The instincts MacKensie had about the group of men and women she'd fallen from the sky with, were only strengthened by her talk with Adam. Here was a good man indeed, with a strong but gentle spirit. MacKensie felt a strangely deep trust for him, part of her wondering why she'd feel such a thing for someone she'd only just met - another part knowing it was real and well-placed.

She asked him about his interests and hobbies, wondering if they related to the abilities his Source Crystal had gifted him, telling him that hers aligned with some of her own interests. The conversation led to more about their friends and life surrounding these skills and only strengthened their bond as they got to know eachother more.

The depth and quality of the conversation was instinctually apparent to Adam. For the first time since arriving in Mytheria, he felt at ease. No evil creatures to fight or teammates to guide with the fate of this world at stake, just great conversation. Despite being from two separate continents, the man felt an undeniable bond with the French girl despite them meeting not even a day ago. And yes, like the woman, his abilities did relate to things that interested him.

Engaged in conversation as they were, it took the two longer to notice the sunlight appear than it would have otherwise. "Oh, we should get ready." The Druid gestured to the sky to indicate daybreak was upon them. The Ranger looked in that direction, nodded, and then the pair began waking up the other members of the group, greeting them with a friendly "good morning" as they did so.

Zell sat up in a flash, one hand grabbing his scabbard next to him and looking to his left where the disturbance had come from. It seemed in his wariness of this new world, even the security of watch-shifts wouldn't stop him from being a light sleeper. He was next to the well-made shelter of Lillianna, staring at the wall of branches near the mouth that was the entrance. A scan of the camp showed no movement - no further noises of the same sort - the only activity coming from MacKensie and Adam, who were quietly chatting and hadn't noticed him. The sky was pale, dawn was here.

Coast clear. The swordsman's muscles relaxed, no longer ready to spring him into action. Reluctantly he let go of his weapon and dug the heels of his palms into his eyes to wake himself up a bit. There was no point in going back to sleep now anyway.

"Oww..."

"?" Zell grunted, sat there for a second as his mind put together the pieces - the sound of the disturbance along with Lillianna's report. He got up, then went and squatted down at the shelter's front entrance to get the final part of the puzzle; the sight of the wizard lay there rubbing her head. He smirked as it all began to make sense. "Morning Lilly pad," he greeted, continuing his streak of giving nicknames to the gang. "You alright there?"

His eyes were drawn to the gold, metal cube cradled in her arms. So this is it, he thought. The oh-so-important package requiring a nine-man courier team. It certainly looked special. Fuck knows why Lillianna had seen fit to hold it like a small baby while she slept, but Zell didn't ask. In fact, not wanting to stare overly long, he looked away, then reached over to grab his backpack and then the end of his bed roll, before dragging it toward himself so he could begin rolling it up to pack away.

MacKensie and Adam had begun waking up the others. "Morning guys," he offered, before turning his attention back to the woman in the shelter. He rose to stand, offering a hand out for her to grab and aid his comrade to her feet. Just like with handing out nicknames, with the formation 'team talk' yesterday evening, he was having trouble leaving the sports habits back in the old world.

Fenna opened her eyes when someone greeted her with a good morning. It took her a moment to realise where she was. And that the previous day obviously hadn't been a dream. She hadn't woken up next to her husband, nor could she hear her children who hopelessly failed at trying to be silent in the morning. A tear rolled down her cheek and she rubbed it away. They were far away somewhere, and she would find a way back to them. She sat up, hiding a yawn behind her hand. A gawk from the tree greeted her and she looked up with a smile. The falcon was still there.

She got up. "Morning, everyone," she said as she stretched her arms.

Now what? Breakfast? Although she wasn't much of an early eater - she never ate breakfast right after getting up - she did have some morning rituals. It started to sink in that not only did she have to miss her morning cuddles, but her morning tea as well. That sucked. Even when they had gone camping they had always brought teabags with them. She bent down to pick up her spear and examined it for a moment - she had never seen one of these before, but she had read about spears with a fork attached to the end, but weren't they supposed to be larger? Maybe she'd have an opportunity to test this one, but now was not the time for that. There were more important things to do.

Fenna walked over to where Adam was. "Hey," she said to him. "Can you show me what route you are planning to take today?"

James Sirius

&

Joji Yamazaki

Joji was the first person to stay up and protect the group while they were getting some shut eye. He didn’t mind as he didn’t think that he could sleep. He had his sword unsheathed and ready in case he needed it. His thoughts were mostly about how he was going to get back home. Although he since he was dead, that didn’t seem likely. The large man again pondered if this was some sort of hell he was made to endure. Joji noticed it was Jame’s turn to take over watching over the group. “Oi James, sorry to wake you up but it’s your turn for the night watch.” Joji gently shook the man awake.

As the larger man moved him James slowly rose to wakefulness, first he let out a groan and a few muttered curses, then as the grogginess left his mind the situation settled and his usual scowl took its place.

Looking at Joji he understood that it was his turn to keep watch and so he assured the katana user “Yeah thanks dude, I will take it from here, you should rest now.” saying so he went to sit down on the log he and Zell had carried earlier, this was going to be a long few hours.

“Is it okay if I keep you company, I don’t think I will be able to sleep.” Joji felt he would not be able to fall asleep. And keeping James company would keep his mind busy. Sitting down beside James when given the okay to stay up with James. There was a brief image in his head of when he was a kid camping outside with his friends. “So what do you think about that cube, and this whole situation? It’s kinda surreal if you ask me.” The large man still had his sword in hand, in case he had to use it.

“Ya man, shits weird, like, before you arrived I was having this whole panic attack thing one moment and the next I was cool as a cucumber and -I shit you not- I think I started praying to someone on this side, cast a buff on everyone and everything.” Realizing that he was perhaps talking too much he decided to give a question back “So… I saw what you did to the Ogre back then, gutted him like a fish, where you always able to do that? or is it like Adam’s plant control or my blessing?"

“We must’ve gotten some sort of magical powers when we woke up in those coffins. This is just as strange for me as it is for you. Like something out of a bad anime.” The large man was rubbing his chin. “I don’t know if that cube, or anyone we speak to in the city will know how we can get back home. But I’m hoping that would be the case.” His eyes moved over towards the dark tree lines. A cold feeling ran down his spine but shook his head thinking nothing was waiting in the dark to attack them.

“I hear you.” Never let it be said that James Siruis was a particularly good conversionalist. After a few more minutes of silence he decided to break the silence again “Strange question but do you know any good campfire stories? Looks like we have time to spare and as long as neither gets too distracted everything should be fine.”

Joji thought for a moment about what kind of story he could tell. But the thought hit him like a lightning bolt. He proceeded to tell James about a couple of old Japanese folk tales that heard as a kid. The two talked for most of the night mostly about the folk talkies, or about each other’s lives. Although Joji made sure not to mention his life as a member of the Yakuza.

As the sun rose and everyone was waking up, Joji was slumped forward after falling asleep a few hours before. His eyes slowly opened as he yawned loudly before stretching his muscular arms out. “Good morning.”