You know? Japanese people apparently have surprisingly hardcore folklore, like they used to view the concept of death as a pretty common thing, oh you disrespected some random spirit, well congrats! now your entire dynasty is cursed to die before reaching twenty and in pretty fucked up ways to finish the entire thing, you are welcome by the way. So yeah I think I prefer the tells of my homeland, at least they are just of people being assholes and getting their due rather than being unlucky. Not to say that they aren't good just not my cup of whatever I choose to drink.

Still, they lead to some weird ass dreams after his shift ended and he finally went back to sleep after waking the next people for their watch, he hoped Joji had gone to sleep as well, the guy looked somewhat okay but one never knows.

Waking up was the same as in the beginning on his turn for the watch, a small period of time where he was not totally aware but neither was he asleep, a perfect balance that felt just surreal enough to make him miss having the capacity to make a cup of coffee at a moment notice, he even had trained his body to go through the motions in this state, ugh all that time wasted.

When his mind finally catched up with the waking world he found himself helping clean the camp and saying his mornings to the others.

Hearing Fenna's question to Adam, she stayed nearby to listen to the answer. When he was done, she asked Fenna, "Perhaps you might teach me some things about tracking and scouting in the future?" She assumed to be a Ranger (it sounded like 'Park Ranger') was to know about such things, so she felt like she was missing some knowledge about her Adventurer Class, if indeed Zell was correct and she was a Ranger. She'd also been addressed as 'Ranger' by one of the townsguard back in Hommas, so it was likely. But she suddenly held her hands up slightly in surrender. "Of course, when we not so busy with this important task," she chuckled awkwardly. "I would not want to bother you with this, today or anything."

Whatever Fenna's answer, MacKensie would smile and nod graciously, then go and make herself useful with other duties.

"How was your sleep James?" MacKensie asked brightly, able to ignore the frown on his face, realizing that it was just his resting expression.

She helped the wizard clean up the camp, rolling up bedrolls and taking any used plates or cutlery to the river to quickly wash them off. After they were done and everyone was ready to move, she pulled out some dried meat jerky to snack on for breakfast and started off north with the group, leaving the campsite behind..........

In spite of sleeping on the rough ground and having to take shift on watch, she felt surpisingly refreshed and was ready for the days walking. Having a good cry with Fenna yesterday, then having a nice chat with Adam in the early hours, had left her in a good mood, and she smiled at the sounds of woodland creatures, enjoying the sightings of deer and squirrels as she followed her friends at the front. Rembering Zell's battle formation, she decided to stick nearby James so she could quickly get into position if they were attacked.

"James, I must ask," she began, after a while, looking at him sidelong with a curious expression. "You said last night that; 'You were making sense of the magic in your head...' then you came back to camp quite wet. If you don't mind me asking, what was that about?"

After waking and greeting everyone up with MacKensie, Adam got to work on packing up his bedroll. Being practiced at the task, it wasn't particularly difficult. He then quickly ate some of his rations for breakfast, not wanting to keep his teammates waiting. The man knew there was another day of hiking ahead of them and wanted to get as much distance in as possible. Examining the map, he found a suitable route, very grateful that he had asked for the navigation tool as he saw what they could have stumbled upon on without proper directions. It was good timing too, as the Druid heard the voice of an older woman ask him a question.

"Hey, can you show me what route you are planning to take today?"

Adam smiled at Fenna and answered her, showing her the map and guiding her along with his finger as he did so. "The morning's going to be pretty similar to what we did yesterday, light trees and hills. I'd like to stay by the water when it's practical in case James needs more spells. I don't entirely understand his magic, but I can tell it's important. The afternoon, however…" after trailing off a bit, the Druid shook his head a little, "it's going to get tougher. We're arriving at The Mazy Hillocks. Now, there is a path with steep hills, ravines and rocks. We could go there, if we wanted to annoy ourselves." At this, the Druid smirked ever so slightly. "Fortunately, there is an alternative. There is a quicker route if we head towards the western side of the Hillocks. It will involve some rock climbing up a small cliffside, but I should be able to use my magic to make vines for us that we can use as impromptu ropes. Perhaps you could scout a bit also, help us avoid anything that'll delay us." She had said she might go ahead of the group at times, so the idea was reasonable to him. "What do you think of that path and plan?"

It was a sincere question. The man didn't know Fenna very well, but he did know that everyone here had some kind of talent, and her gear and bird suggested that she had some familiarity with the outdoors. Therefore, Adam knew she would be able to positively contribute in some way to their mission to bring the cube to Valheim.

The Heroes from the Sky did well to get back on the move early. They moved ever north through the light woodland terrain. The path ahead was littered with potential dangers and delays. Knowledge, skill, stealth, a little luck - all of these things would help them. The wild was unforgiving, even for adventurers, and the creatures to be found there were nothing to scoff at. There were no undead skeletons that might drop their weapons once their leader was down. And there was not 42 townsguard to act as a safety buffer. These were intelligent, ferocious animals whose homes the party would have to pass by or travel through. And without the experience and Source to power their crystals to the higher heights of veteran adventurers, their ability pools were limited, as was their resistance to fatigue and damage.

Today would not be easy.



Zigmund Mugba-Zarak - elite unit of General Saladin's scout force - sprinted throughout the night. Non-stop, enhancing his stamina through magical means. This would come at a slight cost to his overall power, but it would make no difference if he could catch the heroes from another world out in the wild. They would be no match for him, that much was certain.

One battle under their belts? Not enough to ascend in strength, not enough to even call themselves a Silver Tier party. This would be comically easy. Had the mission not been so important, had delicacy and accuracy not been required, he'd be tempted to play with his food. Savour the moment. But no, the control core must be apprehended if the Witch Queen's armies were to maintain that one of many advantages. The skeletons were only a portion of the forces, after all. One aspect of the Undead Legions. There were other undead who were not slaves to the control cores. And beyond undead, there were sentient creatures and races in service to Her Majesty. Zigmund himself was human.

Well... he was once upon a time.

Bushes and branches wobbled and swayed with the slipstream draft of wind created by Zigmund's speed. He was gaining on them. He could feel it. Smell it. Soon they would all be his.

A gentle breeze blew through the grass, blowing the smell of morning dew and quite possibly the smell of a dead animal or something. Whatever it was well it sure wasn't a pretty smell to meet one's nostrils, yet it passed as did their camp as it disappeared behind them just like the village before.

"No fancy automobiles in these parts I reckon," the farmer spoke to nobody in particular really whilst walking ahead of the group with Joji and a few of the other men "Hoo-wee what I wouldn’t give for a nice breakfast, don't suppose they have none of them fancy McDonald's here neither?" though he didn't make a habit of going to the fast food chain Clive would sometimes have a burger with his old man as a kid from time to time, it was more the sentiment of missing things. Besides he wasn't no city boy getting fat on a daily Big Mac.

Clive snorted obviously understanding that there would obviously be no fast food chains in this weird world they dound themselves in "I reckon if ya can't build no stick house maybe you can magic up a breakfast eh Miss Lili?" she looked like a wizard out of them story books he read as a child. Clive was just trying to lighten the parties mood a bit, as something about the way the wind was changing unsettled him.

With the rest of the front-liners at the head of the column, Zell decided to take up rear-guard duties, walking solo in contented silence as he kept a vigil on the surround. Two days travel from Hommas to Valhiem. This meant that today would be nothing but walking. Boooring! was his thought in assessment. His body could handle it, but his mind was far better suited to being occupied with something interesting. Like money. Or beer. Or how to get money to buy beer. Nonetheless he would do it without complaint. Perhaps Professor Bradford's influence that had led to a turnaround in attitude over the last few months would pay dividends for this new stage in his life. He had a task to complete. It may involve uninteresting stretches and require an extra effort of attention and concentration. Get it done to the best of one's ability. For the good of the future.

Yes. The old university lecturer had finally gotten through that thick skull. And those truths that Zell needed to hear were perhaps more important now than ever before.

Zell's eyes drifted skyward to catch sight of the falcon that had befriended Fenna, gliding high up in soaring circles. It only occured to him now that that the bird of prey's interest in the ranger might have something to do with The Gift. What a world this was. Like a medieval marvel movie or something. Zell's media knowledge didn't extend far enough that he had anything else to compare it more accurately to, but he felt the fantastical potential of it all, and wondered if sword fighters like himself had ways and means of attaining special abilities too.

So many questions, so few answers - A running theme since he woke up in the recently-rennovated bathroom of ol' Edric and Lilian.

He took his eyes off the surrounding woodland once more to see up ahead, James and MacKensie chatting. Then he heard and saw Clive talking to Lillianna. The sights brought a slight smile to his face. It was good that the team were building chemistry. The stronger the bonds, the stronger the will to run through brick walls for eachother. It'd be hard to establish such a strong connection between strangers so quickly, but they would have to make do with the hand they were dealt. And everyone was trying. That was the important part.

Alright, enough mushy stuff asshole, Zell told himself, his smile growing as he looked away to focus back on his job. Doesn't suit you one bit.

After an hour or so, he took his backpack off to retrieve some rations that were easy to eat on the go. His relatively disciplined regiment of diet and exercise was going to go out of the window in this world, he could feel it already. Still, skipping breakfast completely would be a crime, so he munched on some bits n pieces as he walked, his hands ever-ready to drop everything and draw his sword, should his senses detect an attack.

@xenon @Dark Cloud

Joji Yamazaki

Joji after stretching out his limbs stood up and helped James with packing everything away. “Did you sleep well? I hope my stories didn’t keep you up all night.” He would feel bad if his telling those Japanese folktales kept James up all night. “Hopefully it wouldn’t take too long to get to Valhiem.” Joji wanted to be back in civilization as fast as possible. Helping him finish packing before heading off with the group. The first thing he was going to do when he arrived in the city is purchase a new suit. His current outfit felt quite old fashioned. He hoped that they would know how to tailor a good suit. He sure did have enough money to purchase a suit, or so he thought.

Joji chuckled when Clive mentioned if their would be Mcdonald in Valhiem. “I’m not sure if their would one around, but maybe you could get a steak or something there.” In the back of his mind he thought that would be the first thing an American would want. But he felt like an asshole for even thinking about it. “I just hope they got something good to eat.” Joji made sure to keep to his position. Having his hand on the sheath of his sword in case he needed to use it. His eyes kept focused on the surrounding area. Making sure that the group would not be ambushed.

Fenna watched the map as Adam explained the route he had planned. It was a sensible one. The first part of the route didn't seem like it would give them a lot of trouble, and staying close to the river was always a good idea. The second part would be difficult, regardless of the path they chose.
"It's a good plan," she agreed when he asked her opinion on it. "On paper that looks like the best route through the Mazy Hillocks, but we can reassess when we get there. Easier terrain could also be home to things we'd rather avoid." Having seen what she needed to see, she looked up. "I'd be happy to scout ahead when needed."

She then turned to Mackensie who had asked her a question. "Of course. When we make our next camp I'd be happy to teach you what I know."
As Mackensie turned to her duties, Fenna also packed her bag and went to the river to fill the waterskin.

It didn't take long before everyone was ready to leave and so was Fenna. She walked at the front this time and the falcon didn't stray far from them. Every time it noticed the distance getting too large, it circled back to them, using the air currents to glide circles. With Adam responsible for keeping the group on track, Fenna had her attention mostly on the ground. This path looked like it was used often by locals, which made sense. It was an easy road and close to a river.

She spotted a tree that was easy to climb and grabbed the first branch to do so. It would give her a good overview of the area - the last thing she wanted was to be surprised by more skeletons. Am I going to climb in a tree every day? she wondered and chuckled to herself. She didn't need to climb to the top, halfway up she already had a good view. No skeletons or other big monsters in sight. A flash of grey sprinted away in tall grass, it was gone before she had properly seen it, but it reminded her of a big dog. The glittering in that area made her think there was a body of water. Drinking place for local wildlife?

What did the local wildlife look like?

She climbed down to walk with the group again. A single animal wouldn't be an issue, they would never attack a group. Some dangerous animals lived in packs though and there was no reason to assume it would be different here.

"I don't think skeletons will be our only concern," she stated. "I saw an animal run away that was large enough to be a concern if there are more of them."

Fenna's sighting and warning to the group was prudent.

Ahead of the party, directly north and in the party's path, was a small watering hole that, while home to many animals, was largely dominated by two wolf packs from the surrounding area.

To go straight through would undoubtedly be the fastest route to the Mazy Hillocks and Valhiem beyond. To veer around the watering hole on the east side would mean crossing the river and going over a large hill that overlooked the woodland. To veer west around would mean going deeper into the thicker parts of the woodlands.

High ground would be useful if a fight broke out. But the high visibility would increase the chances of drawing attention from near and far.

The thicker lowlands was preferable if stealth was the priority, but if there was a fight with wolves on that terrain, the predators would have the advantage.

If time was of the essence, as Commander Vadim had told them, then the bold move of marching on through might be the best move. After all; who knew if wolves would even pick a fight at this time of the morning, or if they would even be at the watering hole in enough numbers to cause problems.

"Morning Lilly pad-

You alright there?"

To say it was at least nice that someone popped their head in to see if she was ok was a thing. To say that it wasn't slighhtly surprising for Zell to pop in out of the blue, or what felt like it in a groggy waking-up state at least, would have been a lie. It did make the mage jump a little when Zell came over to talk to her.

"...Ugh. Relatively ok."

Her response was generally groggy and sore sounding, not that it would perhaps be very surprising that it was.

'Relatively ok' was right, could always be a lot worse she figured, but Zell walked off and she moved to sit up on the edge of her little shelter Lillianna would try to pull her bedhead hair back out of her face as she looked over the others. Seemed everyone had rested well, and no weather to boot since the last night. All in all a successful camping event, if she had to call it something, though it made her little shelter feel...ugh. Nope. No more thinking about it, she was going to get ready to hit the road!

Though as she got up and began to tidy her things up, Lillianna wondered why she hadn't come with a bedroll like the others seemingly had. A cruel trick of fate? A bad day for the magic tossing her in late? Something else? She had no idea.

This was going to be a long day of more walking regardless, so before the group would leave she'd make sure to chew on half of the jerky from her second ration. Something to keep her going a bit at least. Maybe fill up water before they left too, actually, as she'd drained her water skin dry.

---

As they walked along, the mage carrying the cube closely in one arm as her staff was held in the other, she would mull to herself over what had been happening with the cube and herself. At least what had happened so far. The reaction she'd gotten from it was certainly something, and then her dream this morning had been-

"I reckon if ya can't build no stick house maybe you can magic up a breakfast eh Miss Lili?"

"I wish I could, but the most I've got is maybe electrocuting some unfortunate animal to death for food. Could always try out the nearest lake for that.

Wouldn't be the Fillet O' Fish you'd want though, you'll have to talk to a manager about that one."

Lillianna ran a hand down her face afterward, though despite attempting to play along verbally nothing but a small sigh escaped her somewhat still-tired lips and somewhat 'exasperated' tone of voice. Sleep, after becoming exhausted enough, had eventually come to her. It wasn't her own bed back home, nothing ever would be again she figured, but it had worked out well enough. Maybe a bit more bedding next time she made a shelter, really, though when it'd ever come in handy she had no idea.

But that blasted dream had left her waking up all of a sudden. She could still recall it properly even now, which was odd for a dream.

A pair of giant red eyes, looking in on her. A similar sensation of power in that gaze as when she'd sensed from afar when she'd touched the cube earlier when Adam had come to her shelter to offer her fish. Her mind had thrown the sensation aside for a little bit, but thinking on the dream again now it all came back to her mind as well. A magical nightmare, perhaps? Considering the fact she could use magic, that is, and that this thing was found in the center of an undead leading-...wait.

This cube was inside of the center of a stronger undead leading a force of undead. Upon its loss, the rest of the undead enemies had fled. That much she knew. She'd had her suspicions earlier, but the last two incidents with herself and the cube were indicative of something. A connection, powerful but far away, which was of a magical sort. That certainly helped her theories about it's nature.

And then it finally clicked into place.

"...Oh Shi-"

This was connected to the one who had made it, and had been placed inside a leader of a force of undead constructs. This thing wasn't just some random magical cube, this was a magical remote control device of some kind.

There were a few ways she could theorize about it, but what were the facts she knew for sure right now?

The leader falls and the device hits the ground, right after which the enemy force collapses into retreat. As if the morale had broken or something...or the line of remote control had been broken. So it needed the vessel to work, the 'outer shell' it was put inside, to do whatever it was doing.

It also reacted to her and gave her a thrumming, magical sensation akin to her staff. Yet this one was like something very far away was connected to it, that she could feel through it, but whatever that distant thing was was likewise very powerful. Magically very powerful, if she followed the logic this far.

That enemy force was that of the 'Witch Queen', and if this individual was a magic user employing the undead to fight for her then it made sense that they would be more than familiar with the methods of necromancy and necromantic tools. Tools such as a core made to direct, control, or create an undead. Including, presumably, creating necromantic tools or devices to compel an undead force into battle remotely.

Well, not that she knew how the undead worked in this world anyway. She was already making the comparison to a remote-controlled car as she was doing in her head right now, though, so it felt reasonable enough to continue with that comparison for the time being due to a lack of knowledge of this new world she was in.

So therein was a cohesive(-ish?) theory in the end. Make a core for creating a special undead, then use it to create an undead 'leader' to direct the undead forces remotely. Undead leader is sent into battle, commanding the undead force which is being compelled by the magic of the device used to make said leader. Leader with the core is cut down, making the core just a component part again and effectively non-functional in that state. This removes the magic compelling the force of undead, which force crumbles and dissolves.

The information racing through the mage's head made her take pause, long enough that Fenna had by then gotten up the tree she went to climb and back down again.

"I don't think skeletons will be our only concern," she stated. "I saw an animal run away that was large enough to be a concern if there are more of them."

Mustering up the nerves to try to do something now, Lillianna walked a few steps forward to put herself in the middle of the other party members (rather than the back of the pack where she'd been standing thus far). Her face seemed to suddenly be covered in some sweat, not that they could see the likewise cold sweat running down her back at the same time, and her skin seemed a bit more pale...like she'd just seen a ghost or something of the sort.

"Umm...w-we actually have might have much more of a problem than, er, any of that actually. A much bigger problem.

I just realized what this cube is, as well as who made it I think, and the enemy maybe knows we have it and potentially knows where we were camping last night."

The words came out clunky feeling from her mouth, the nerves apparent in her speaking now at least, but she spoke loud enough to try to get everyone to hear her as she glanced around whilst speaking to the group.

At the same time, it was also a very sudden and out of the blue claim as well, and in her mind the panic about potentially being laughed at or not believed was very real. Because how would this not sound utterly silly, if not preposterous at that, to just say in the middle of things without so much as a hint of warning beforehand? Much less being the last, and perhaps least-acquainted thus far, member of the group...or, well, that's how she felt about herself at least by this point in time.

Adam was happy that Fenna supported his plan, and of course it would make sense to adjust the plan as needed based on the circumstances at the time. "Of course, thank you Fenna" he said in response to her. Focused as he was on planning the route, the man didn't do much else besides refill his canteen before the group set off on the path he had chosen.

And so far, it had been fairly uneventful. With Fenna scouting and himself making sure their travel was going according to plan, there hadn't been any impediments to their path so far. Really, so far he had seen the same tranquil sights as yesterday. Not that the Druid minded at all, but he knew in the back of his mind that this couldn't last forever. That was why he tried to stay near the middle of the group, ready to engage in battle if the need arose. Zell's formation made sense, despite the guy himself confusing the red-eyed man, so he would do the best he could to adhere to it.

"I don't think skeletons will be our only concern. I saw an animal run away that was large enough to be a concern if there are more of them."

And she was correct. There was potential for a fight ahead with some wolves, and while Adam knew he could navigate the team through the outdoors, he wasn't prepared to lead them into a battle. And Lillianna's announcement that the enemy might know where they were wasn't a random guess; the man had thought such a thing was possible the day before. There was a great deal going on here and if the group was going to survive, they would have to work as a team.

"Yes, we have a lot to be concerned by. The wildlife and maybe the Witch Queen knowing where we are could be short term dangers to us." Saying this, Adam nodded at Lillianna in a sign of support. "So we'll need to work together if we're going to succeed." Saying this, he turned to face James and asked him a question. "As the one who probably knows more about strategy than anyone else here, what do you think we should do?"

Maybe thinking that he had woken up turned out to be wrong after all, yeah he reacted and did all the things that he should have done but there was still this small part of him that was still in Lalaland even as they started to move, and talk between each other, it was frankly just Adam talking directly to him that broke him of his fugue.

"As the one who probably knows more about strategy than anyone else here, what do you think we should do?"

At his words, his mind went from 0 to 100, and the reality of what was going on settled on his shoulders once again.

He reaaaalllyy missed his morning coffee.

Adopting a thinking position to win time for himself to think he went back through the conversation he hadn't been part of until now, unknown animals on the path and someone or something maybe pursuing them, fuck that wasn't good, on one hand going around sounded like the safest route but he didn't know from which side they could get hit and he didn't want to be the metal between hammer and anvil but the problem was that some unknown animals could very well be dangerous, maybe even more than the Skeletons they had fought and he didn't fancy having to fight against another army while tired.

Descicions, desicions.

Finally, he came to a conclusion "I say... we continue if we are being pursued then our best bet would be to reach the city as fast as possible, last time we had the town guards to help us and we had loses." He didn't want to think back at those that lost their lives in the fight, or how it could have been any of them "That doesn't mean we have to be stupid about it, if we can dodge having a fight with whatever is on the path then we do, if it insists on a fight we kill it fast, too dangerous and we run, easy like that. Maybe it will even work as a deterrent if something is trying to follow us"

He could only hope that he had made the right decision.

Just because she had woken up in a better mood - more emotionally resilient after her talks with Fenna and Adam - it did not mean that everyone else had.

It took her a few minutes to realise this fact as she watched James give vacant replies to her, his demeanour distant. She'd took it for dismissiveness at first, wondering why the sudden change in his disposition towards her, seeing as they'd gotten along quite well during yesterday's travelling. Honestly, she was a little miffed at first, but shortly after she realised that she was being incredibley self-centered and spoiled to expect anything from the Cleric.

MacKensie Rosetta Trydant, you must be better than this, the scolding voice in her head was her mothers.

Who knew what was going through James' head. Who knew what he might have dreamt last night. It would take more than twenty-fours to adjust to this new life - this abduction - and perhaps some of the group would never get over it. And here MacKensie was, pestering him with questions, tugging his robe to point at some stupid deer, like a child.

A few minutes to realise herself... a few minutes too long. Be better.

She fell into silence as they walked, after that, feeling bad about her behaviour and feeling bad for her friend. Some time later, Fenna enlightened the party about potential problems ahead. Then Lillianna came forward to drop a bomb of her own. So much all at once. MacKensie's eyes widened as she gauged the reaction of everyone, unsure herself how to approach the situation. Lillianna was frighteningly pale, her forehead looking clammy with sweat. MacKensie stepped next to her, touching her elbow. "It's okay," she said softly to the wizard. "We will figure this out."

When Adam spoke, eventually putting the question to James, MacKensie hoped that the man would be okay enough to put his tactical mind to good use. The ranger was hopeful as Adam's question looked like it had flicked a switch inside James. He was back. And he made up his mind - they were to forge straight ahead. Qui n'avance pas recule, her father's voice this time - his favourite proverb. MacKensie nodded, happy with the decision. It was time for her to do something too, Fenna inspiring her with the tree climbing.

"I can be a look out," the Frenchwoman offered sharply, glancing over a few faces with a fire in her eyes. Perhaps she didn't know anything about scouting. It was time for some 'on the job' learning. "Our heading is that way?" she asked Adam, double-checking with him and his compass. "Okay, I will come back immediately if I see anything."

And with that, she went ahead in something of a jog, but keeping low and on alert. She'd only gone a hundred yards before she fired her gauntlet up at an extremely tall tree, then flew up to it, squatting on a sturdy branch as she kept a look-out. Her adrenaline was already starting to flow - a good job really, because it protected her from worrying about the dizzying, deathly height she'd ascended too. Still, she would see danger before danger caught sight of them.

If the party safely caught up to her, then she'd leap from the branch in a T-pose, instinctively faithful in her newfound ability. Then with a thrust of her left hand, the magical wire of blue light fired from her gauntlet, northbound to the next tree. It latched on and she quickly closed in on her target position - swinging low into an arc as she did, Indiana Jones-style, before zipping up to the next branch and flipping acrobatically onto it. If she could see herself, she'd marvel, but she was too busy looking for danger.

The Mazy Hillocks: A veritable labyrinth created by thousands of years of wind and rain. The region is a series of steep hills, ravines, cliffs, earth and rock. Getting lost is only the initial danger. Uneven terrain requiring scrambling is enough break an ankle, which might prove lethal on it's own. In addition, too much noise or weight may see one the victim of a rock slide. Or a sink hole might leave an unlucky soul in the cave network below. Humans rarely venture into The Mazy Hillocks. Those who do, rarely come out, for it is home to greater predators than regular wolves. Somewhere in the bowels of this mighty maze is a conduit of Source that draws to it the fiercest of creatures. It sustains them, twists them. Makes them stronger, even gives them powers. Only the strongest survive the competition to make this fortress of nature their home.



The following hours were filled with anticipation for the Heroes from the Sky. With threats ahead and an even bigger threat closing in from behind, it seemed that all of their options were tainted. The party Cleric, James, who'd quickly become the group's trusted strategist, chose the fastest route through and off they went.

Open communication between the group navigator and the two rangers made for an effective team. Fenna scouted ahead of the group, reading the tracks on the ground, identifying common animal passages and rights-of-way. She relayed a steady stream of advice on where the group should avoid leaving their scent, where seemed safe and what size of threat they'd be looking at should a fight break out. MacKensie maintained her vantage up above, coming down repeatedly to alert the group about wolf sightings, then going back up to watch their movements. Adam's skilled map reading made effective use of the nooks and crannies of nature, bringing the team along shallow streams where their visibility would be low, or finding small differences in ground elevation to help shield them all from sight in tight situations. All the while, with all the twists and turns the group had to make, the Druid made sure that they consistently reoriented themselves north.

There were some close calls, with the rangers having to lethally silence a wolf or two in order to maintain their stealth, but the Heroes from the Sky made it through the territory of the two wolf packs. Leaving the woodlands behind, they reached the Mazy Hillocks at the turn of the afternoon.

@xenon @Teyao

Joji Yamazaki

Joji was worried that they would run into any nasty creatures if they go through the forest however, it seemed to be the most straightforward path to Valhiem. He was more than prepared to face nasty creatures that would try to mess with them. From what he had seen so far, this world was much more dangerous than the one he came from. In his mind, he wondered if guns were invented. He would take something basic like a musket or a flintlock pistol. Anything would be better than a bow or a crossbow. Especially with the witch queen having an army of the undead

The large man’s stomach started rumbling, Joji wondered if there would be anything hardy for him to eat. And the two Americans talking about fast food, made him miss the food back in Japan. His assumption of it is easy to get to Valhiem was contradicted by seeing the maze. “Fuck me.” He muttered under his breath. “Were any of you good at those maze puzzles when you were alive?” Joji wondered if there was any way to go around the maze to get to their destination. Joji sure as hell knew he didn’t have a good sense of direction to get through the maze. “Is there a way we can get around this thing?” He asked which was more directed towards Adam. Looking around he wondered where they could go to try and avoid the maze. But it didn’t look like that would be possible.

Adam was grateful that everyone seemed to be coming together as a team so quickly and effectively. James' quick tactical thinking, Fenna's scouting ahead and MacKensie maintaining vigilance from above combined with his own navigational skills to bring everyone to the beginning of The Mazy Hillocks intact and unharmed. The gratitude turned to intimidation, however, as the man saw just what they would be dealing with; a great natural maze, made up of all kinds of obstacles to their progress. Honestly, he was kind of amazed at the landscape he could see. This world was clearly nothing like Earth, for such things to even be possible.

But this wasn't the time to act like a tourist. The lives of his teammates and himself were on the line and the Druid did not intend to lose them. First, he took the time to compare what was before him to what was on the map. The navigation device was much simpler than what nature had created, but there were parts where he could match one to the other. A few notable elevation changes and terrain features could be seen on the map. In particular, there was a tall, large tree that looked like a hook that seemed to be near the southeast border of the Hillocks and a steep gorge that appeared to be made out of a tough rock accented by different sharp-looking boulders that was on the southwest border. Adam definitely did not want to see if the rocks were as dangerous as they looked, but the feature and the tree could be used as reference points to figure out where the southern boundaries of the Hillocks were in front of him. It wouldn't be perfect and he'd still need to use all his skills to get the group through, but it was a good start, and he could use the reading on his compass just then as a further point of reference. Just then, Joji asked a relevant question:

“Is there a way we can get around this thing?”

Adam shook his head, wishing his answer could be different. "I'm afraid not, not without backtracking and losing a ton of time on our trip." The part about potentially letting whatever the Witch Queen may have sent after them get more time to find them did not need to be said, if only for Lillianna's sanity. "Oh, by the way; be very careful, everyone. If the entire place is like the best entrance to it, The Mazy Hillocks is going to be difficult terrain." There were multiple options to choose from, so the more judgemental of the team might have wondered why the man had chosen the westernmost one, a path that went along the eastern side of the gorge. Fenna and anyone else who had listened to his plan for directions earlier would know that the Druid was going west along the Hillocks because it was the quickest path on the map and that climbing up a rocky cliffside was involved. One could reasonably infer that the similar rocky terrain would mean that they were going in the right direction to find that cliff.

It wasn't easy hiking like before; once the gorge disappeared behind them, the group had to deal with terrain that constantly shifted up and down along with seemingly changing from hard rock to soft sand and back again in rapid succession. One could easily see how a person could break their ankle, then succumb to whatever beasts lived in the Hillocks. All the while, Adam kept the group as close to the west side of the area as possible.

However, even this pace would not last. The team eventually came upon what at first looked like a dead end. Straight ahead, in the direction the team had been going, was another gorge that looked like the one from earlier. At first it would seem like the team would have to turn around, but if one looked further ahead, they could see the path continue on the other side. An ominous sound from the way they came, something that sounded like a dark roar, encouraged them to go in that direction as well. The red-eyed man examined his surroundings, finding a small patch of dirt near the group that seemed to transition to the rocky surface of the gorge, and began casting upon it. Four trees, each the width of a person, began growing out of the ground next to each other. They grew horizontally towards the other side of the pit, eventually creating an impromptu bridge that would allow the group to get across safely. Two were right beside each other to provide a walking surface while the other two were angled to provide a sort of railing for whoever was using it. It wasn't elegant, but it would hold up to the strain of the group crossing, two people each. Adam had taken extra time to be sure the root systems of the plants were strong enough to carry that sort of weight. He also made sure that thick and sturdy branches were sticking out at appropriate intervals so that people could hold onto them for extra support.

"Okay, so we can get across this way, but not all at once. It can only hold two at a time, so we'll need to take turns crossing it. I'll go first with someone so I can reinforce the bridge at the other side. I feel repetitive saying this, but please be careful." Finishing his statement, the Druid began slowly crossing the trees, helping whoever decided to join him across the way. Once they succeeded, he would create thick roots to provide extra structural integrity for what stood between The Heroes From the Sky and a steep drop onto the ground. Adam just hoped that nobody would have to experience that fall firsthand.

"Ah fuck," Zell commented, after Fenna and Lillianna delivered the bad news. "And here I was thinking it was gonna be a boring day." When Adam gave his own response, emphasising the importance of teamwork, Zell nodded. "You got it, Adam."

The final decision went to James, "On you, big brain. What'cha got for us?" Zell turned his back and kept a lookout for danger while the Cleric thought about the situation. There was no danger in sight, which somehow made things more intense, like some kind of horror flick. Protect, was the word in bright Vegas lights, right now. Water Stance: Free-flowing combat technique and philosiphy relying on ever-moving footwork and slashes rather than stabs. Effective when defending and outnumbered on disadvantaged terrain where bottlenecks cannot be utilised. It was like a rollerdex of combat theory just span around a spat out something helpful for him. Still so strange to have so much knowledge he'd never actually learned just sitting in his head. When James made the decision, Zell approved, though he kept lookout until the group was ready to move again. "Kicking through the front door, I like it. Let's do it."

MacKensie offered to scout, the tone of her voice drawing Zell's attention moreso than her words. When he looked at her, he saw the same face from that moment on Hommas' eastern wall when she shot a bolt right by his ear. She was ready to rock. She and Fenna went ahead, then the group began to move. "Meatheads, weapons ready," Zell said to Clive and Arthur, giving a pat on Joji's back - a quick reminder of their battle role - before he drifted to the lone rearguard position once more.

"Hoe. Lee. Shit," Zell muttered as he saw, in the distance, MacKensie just start fucking flying up to the top of a tree, out of nowhere, blonde hair n blue cape billowing in the wind. Since when!? For all of his efforts to stay on point, he couldn't help but be drawn up top, continually glancing up to check on the Frenchwoman. She was using some kind of magic rope to do some of the craziest circus shit Zell had ever seen in his life! It might've been less shocking if the Ranger had shown any signs of these abilities during their last battle, but as far as he'd seen, she was a crossbow-toting badass and nothing more.

Adam stayed sharp, leading the way through enemy territory with the help of information Fenna and MacKensie were feeding him. There were a few hot moments where Zell was gripping his sword-hilt, ready to jump into action and formation, but the group managed to stay out of trouble. In truth, Zell almost preferred that they just get it over with and fight. The anticipation was killing him. But once the party was in the clear and everyone was back together and walking normally again, he slowly started to relax. The sense of danger slipped back into the shadows. After what Lillianna had told them, danger would always be present, but at least it wasn't immediate, giving them a bit of a mental rest for a while.

When Joji swore under his breath, Zell walked up to the man's side to see what the issue was. "You and me both, big guy," Zell agreed, looking out onto region that stood between them and their destination. It looked like an actual maze carved out of nature. "I'm a pretty simple guy," he told Joji. "Not a big fan of puzzles, tee-bee-haeche."

Joji asked if they could go around and Zell knew the answer before Adam said it. As far as the eye could see, both east and west, was a cascade of jagged rock. They'd have to go through. As the group started descending into the labyrinth, Zell fell into step beside MacKensie.

"Since when the hell could you fly around like Batman?" he asked. It almost sounded like he was offended she hadn't informed him earlier. However she replied, Zell's tone would change as he looked at her, a raise of his eyebrows and a grin on his face. "Pretty badass, if I do say so myself."

...

"My god," Zell complained. "How much more of this shit do we have to take?" It had been a while and quite the work out. The changes in terrain, the climbing up and descending back down. "My ankles are killing me." The constant feeling that some monster could come jumping out from a crack or crevice at any moment. "Screw you, Vadim. We save your ass and this is how you repay us."

His whining stopped when the group came to what seemed like a dead end. That is, until Adam started casting, giving an example of the plant magic he was talking about back in Hommas. Dude straight-up just grew the gang a bridge. Zell's jaw dropped, a smile on his face throughout. The amount of impressive feats he'd seen just continued to increase.

He watched Adam go in the first pair as they went across, then took his turn next, nodding to his partner and starting the journey. It would seem that although Zell heard Adam say, 'Be careful,' he wasn't actually listening, because the dumbass swordsman decided to lean over the edge as he was traversing the tree-trunks, so he could see how far down the abyss went.

One of his feet slipped and his arms flailed out as he fell over the edge, slipping through the gap under the 'hand-rail trunks.' One hand barely managed to grab a conveniently placed branch to stop him freefalling into the black hole. With an arm and leg dangling, Zell was one wrong move away from never being seen again.

She stood between Joji and Adam, looking at the place that could only be what Adam had described, this morning, as The Mazy Hillocks. "Sacre bleu," she muttered in unison with the curse of the massive swordsman next to her. Mazy Hillocks was an apt name. It looked mind-boggling.

“Is there a way we can get around this thing?”

MacKensie looked hopefully at Adam, who would know best. The young Druid's answer was deflating. She turned her head sharply back at the maze below, angry at it. Ready. We can do this, she told herself, standing still a moment longer to steel herself as the two men beside her went down the hill, then walked after them. When Zell inquired about her grapplehook, it reignited the thought she had after she'd finished scouting: What in the world have I become?

"I have a magical gauntlet," she replied. "See?" she showed him her arm. "It is a grapple hook. I have had little practice, but I seem to be getting the hang of it okay." A humble understatement. She'd tried it out for a total of ten minutes and then - perhaps irresponsibly - took to the skies where she could've died for a second time had she made a single mistake. Zell's compliment warmed her insides but she tried to play it off with a cocky comeback. "I am full of surprises," she smirked as she shared his gaze.

Walking through the open-air corridors of cliff and boulders, MacKensie had her crossbow drawn and loaded to make herself feel better about the spooky atmosphere. She constantly checked behind her, above her and ahead - making sure the team stayed together and nothing was sneaking up on them. The place felt haunted with ghosts and magic. In her head, she imagined the last moments of unfortunate travellers who'd tried to come through here. It was all she could do not to strangle Zell, who's moaning was doing nothing to help matters. As if he was only one who was feeling the burn. Such an idiot.

At the gorge, she gasped when Adam casted the biggest spell he'd done yet. She was not the only one getting more and more familiar with these new abilities they'd been gifted. She looked at the trees he'd created, then at him. "Okay, so we can get across this way..." And he just carried on like it was nothing! MacKensie almost missed what he was saying, her gaze moving slowly back to the trees as she marvelled. "...I feel repetitive saying this, but please be careful."

She ended up going across with Zell, putting away her crossbow and giving him a curt nod before stepping onto the tree-trunks in tandem with him. Easy does it, Mac. Careful. Careful. Each footfall was precise, her graceful poise and posture drilled into her from a childhood of ballet. One step at a time. The rough sound of Zell's booted feet gave him away as soon as he lost his footing and she shot a glare his way, horrified to see him flailing. She threw herself at him, left hand firing her gauntlet behind her to secure herself and the swordsman as she wrapped her right arm around his back, holding him tight.

Yet another gasp, her breathing elevated from the difibrilation of fear that jolted her into action. For a moment they were frozen - a few seconds to gather herself, to make sure they were secure, to be relieved that he wasn't lost to them - then her gauntlet wire wound them both back into the safety of the middle of the tree-trunk platform. The magical blue beam disappeared and there they stood, before she realised with a blush that she was still holding him as tight as possible. With a knee-jerk reaction she let go and stepped slightly away from him, hiding her embaressment with anger. "Will you kindly watch your step, Zell Brooks?" it wasn't a question, but a command. "Hmph."

Paranoid that she was still blushing, she turned away and started moving, making sure to be slightly ahead of him to hide her face, but not so much that she couldn't save his rear end again if need be. When they were off the bridge, she walked straight past the others without delaying a step. "I will scout ahead a little."

Once she was alone, she rubbed her eyes with one stroke of her hand, to regain focus (although it looked suspiciously like a face-palm) then redrew her crossbow and followed the zig-zagging passage, eventually coming to a junction with three different ways to go from there. She took the right-side passage and made it less than fifty paces before the narrow passage opened up into a clearing that made heart palpitate.

"What in the world...!?" she whispered to stop herself shouting.

In front of her was a clearing littered with skeletal remains and what looked like half-eaten corpses too! Not only could she hear the loud buzzing of flies, but she could even see them, overgrown to the size of pebbles. The sight and smell made her want to vomit. She could only be happy that there was nothing else alive in there, no predator in sight. She backed away slowly, then turned and fled. Deciding against scouting any further and potentially getting lost, she retread her way back to the rest of them, informing the group of what she saw and advising that they should expect trouble ahead.

@xenon @Zapdos

Joji Yamazaki

Joji cursed once again when it became apparent that they would have to go through the maze. “Well it’s best we all stick together, I don’t wanna lose anyone inside of that maze.” Pulling out his sword knowing full well there could be some nasty creatures inside the maze. He would rather get this over and done with, but perhaps Clive and Adam would be able to help the group get through the maze quicker. Looking over toward Adam. “Is there a chance you could use your powers to make a path for the group? You seem to know your way with horticulture.” Now it seemed he was desperate not to go through the maze. But it looked like he would have to bite the bullet.

Joji followed in front of the group, making sure to protect the other groups. Having a bad feeling as he went through the maze with the others. Dealing with hitmen and mafia members seemed like a walk in the park compared to this.

Joji looked quite surprised and somewhat pleased by Adam creating a bridge made out of trees. "Good thinking Adam, your as wise as the tree you used." Joji clapped his hands together with a big smile on his face. His smile sank when he heard a loud roaring coming from the distance. "Did anyone hear that?"

He carefully walked across the bridge with a partner. Making sure to keep his balance while walking. A lot of sweat was running down his face, letting out a sigh of relief when he finally crossed the bridge.

Zell's comment made his grimace deepen a little more and a weight settled on his stomach as the group moved to follow his decision... which lasted exactly 18 seconds as MacKenzie suddenly decided it was a good idea to become French Spiderwoman.

"SINCE WHEN THE FUCK CAN SHE DO THAT!!!!???"

After a moment of gaping he quickly composed himself, fuck the look on his face must have been stupid, thankfully almost everyone else had similar expressions of stupefaction on their faces. After they managed to get their act together the journey proved to be as stressful as he dreaded, even if they didn't outright start a fight it was still pretty fucking scary when one of the bigger wolves seemed to want to get a quick bite, thank fucking god for the arrow wielding fighters and their quick hands. But of course, it couldn't be as simple as crossing the wolves' territory and being fine and dandy afterward, could it? there had to be a damned maze of what appeared to be natural means blocking the path. An idle part of him wondered if perhaps they had somehow managed to offend god so much that he went to mess with them just because.

Fuck me. Were any of you good at those maze puzzles when you were alive?

"Fuck both of us then"

Undeterred by their pessimism the party continued ahead following Adam's instructions until they come to a dead end, for a moment he was afraid that they had to double back because that would just suck only for Adam to decide to put on his Big-Boy-Magical-Pants and cast something that put to shame his light show a while ago. "Well that is one way to make someone feel inferior" Then he remembered Lilliana's coffin exit and his brow twitched "D-Did I just get the short end of the stick or what?"

Whatever the case he followed Adam's instructions and carefully crossed the improvised tree bridge alongside Joji, plant control seemed like a terrifingly cozy power if he could say so himself, for a moment he wondered if the Druid could command two trees to grow a hammock between them and what would it take to convince him to make one for him if he could, sleeping rolls were fine and everything but hammocks just ruled for a reas-

A sudden noise and an exclamation of fear later made his heart jump to his throat, looking back at the bridge he barely managed to get a glimpse of Zell's armor as he fell but before he could even think about moving a muscle to help MacKenzie threw herself over the edge and pulled both of them a moment later. He could still hear his heart roaring in his chest as he watched them cross the rest of the way, only after MacKenzie went to scout ahead did he escape from his stupor.

The first thing he did was let out a series of curses as he went to check on the almost-fallen Sworman.

"Shit, fuck, crap, shit, hell, shit, fuck!" Reaching him he didn't wait for a second before examining him and firing question after question "How do you feel? Does anything hurt? Can you talk?" It was only after he heard Zell's response that he calmed himself, said calm then switched to anger, then worry, then irritation, and finally settled on concern, taking a deep breath he said "Just... just be careful dude" .

Then he went to talk to MacKenzie as she came back with yet more wonderful news, at least this time the dead weren't coming for their brains.

"Hey dude, just wanted to say thank you, without you we would have likely lost Zell and that would have sucked, even if he is a moron sometimes" He attempted to give her a smile but all it came to his face was a tired grimace and a sigh, but as he talked he could vaguely remember her trying to talk to zombie-him in the morning, man that made him feel like an asshole "Also, I think you tried to speak to me after we cleaned camp? Sorry I am really bad at the whole 'being a morning person thing' and I'm basically on autopilot, could you tell me what you wanted to say?" Hopefully it wasn't too late to make amends, god knows he didn't want to lose one of the few people he was coming to see as a friend.