---

"Speaking of us, I am MagnaAngemon, and this is D'arcmon. We are angel Digimon who serve the will of Yggdrasil."

... Wait. Why did they both have such similar names? And a reference to Joan of Arc? Sure, the "angel" looked relatively human, but... Did the legendary hero get sent here when she died? Chance were that she didn't get a bloody email to send her here, at least. This only brought more questions. Did the email kill the humans here? What was with the "mon" suffix in their names? Furthermore, if Yggdrasil was their god, were they in a world of Norse mythology? Was there an Odin, here? Or... an "odin-mon," perhaps? But a god that actually tried to help its subjects? That was leagues better than she expected.

Honestly, the idea of being a... well, the excitable boy called them "superheroes" but Kari highly doubted that idea. Still, the thought wasn't horrible. A way to help those who need it is exactly what she wanted. So what if they were from a different world? That doesn't make them less real, right? Kari reached into her pocket for her phone, bringing it out to look at the email once again.

After a moment, she gave a deep sigh and put on a small smile.

"Alright, let's do this, yeah? I'll help you guys, at least. What can I do?"

"So many questions, so little time," MagnaAngemon said. He seemed annoyed by all the questions, as if he'd just assumed that all of the humans would have zero problems with being snatched up from their everyday life. Needless to say, it seemed like he wasn't going to answer any of them. "In fact, our time is almost up before you're transferred to the Digital World proper. However, Yggdrasil has given you a gift to help you find your way." He opened up the holographic screen again, and an object began floating in front of each of the humans. Yui blinked in confusion.

Glasses? Though for some of the others it was a pair of goggles. Yui took the glasses in front of her and examined them.

"These are Digivices. They'll help you on your journey, and help channel energy to your Digimon partner."

Yui spoke up for the first time. "How do we know who our partner is?"

D'arcmon gave a smile. "You'll know when you find them."

The air around the humans began to shimmer and hum with energy.

"If you want to return home, you'll need to save the Digital World," MagnaAngemon said. "Of course, there could be some item that might be able to send you home. Or if you find a powerful enough Digimon, they might help you... for a price." His tone shifted slightly. "Fare thee well, humans."

"What do you--?"

There was a blinding flash of light, like before. When Yui could see again, she could see that she and the other people were in some kind of forest.

The angels didn’t really answer anybody’s questions, but they did leave a gift! Cameron got himself a pair of pink heart shaped glasses. They were adorable, and Cameron was quick to put them on. Then they were magically teleported into a forest. How they were supposed to find their new buddies they didn’t know, but for Cameron, it did not matter. Cameron was just happy to be here.

“Well, what are we waiting for? Let’s gooooooooooo!” The young Pop Star flashed everyone a peace sign, then Naruto ran ahead. He didn’t get very far before running back to the others though. “Uh… Does anyone know where we should be going? It just looks like a bunch of trees.”

Slowly, Melody's eyes opened, taking in the sight around her. Confusions swept through her like a storm; this was most certainly not her manor! Her family owned a few marble statues, yes, but this looked more like a marble room! The floor, the walls, even the ceiling...! And her eyes were still somewhat dazzled from... She shook her head. Calm down, Melody. Think. She was often like this; sudden surprises tended to throw her for a mental loop! So she focused on breathing, just as her teacher had taught her, and let the memories come back to her.

As the confusion faded, clarity gradually returned. She remembered finishing her lessons for the day, then spending some time playing the piano. So far, a perfectly ordinary day. One of the maids had informed her that dinner would soon be ready, so Melody had returned to her room to change into something more comfortable. Ah, and that's when it happened! She could recall the little PING of her computer alerting her to a new message. She always liked to stay on top of any such messages, so she checked it immediately. It didn't seem to have a sender... or perhaps the address was simply cloaked? She'd clicked on it anyway.

The Digital World Needs Your Help!

Evil is afoot in the Digital World. Rival armies vie for control of the land, and heroes are needed to save the innocent! You've been chosen to protect those who can't protect themselves. What say you?

I want to help!

For several moments, Melody sat staring. Was this some sort of advertisement? Was someone asking for help? Armies and heroes were quite a way's off from her idea of reality. Finally, it dawned on her: this must have been for a game of some sort! By clicking the link, she would surely be taken to the mysterious game's homepage and invited to make an account. Well, I HAVE been looking for a new experience lately... Melody very rarely played video games, so this would certainly be something new for her! "Oh, why not?" she asked her computer, smiling as she clicked the link. Then, she recalled her screen becoming very fuzzy, and just as she feared she'd stumbled onto a virus, the computer - no, the entire ROOM - had gone so brightly white!

...And now she was here. Well, that explains... um... nothing, actually. Her mind was clear and sharp again, but that sharpness did little to explain how she'd come to be in this empty marble room. She looked around, trying to find some sign of life or a potential exit... but there was nothing as far as her eye could see. "...Have I been kidnapped?" she wondered aloud. What sort of kidnapper could move her to such a place as this without her feeling any sort of sensation?

That was when a curious sound reached her ears, and a small creature rather suddenly popped into being! "Wha- What are you doing here?!" it asked her, eyes wide and tiny claw pointing.

"I have no idea!" she answered back, hands on her hips in both shock and minor indignation. "I was quite comfortably in my room when I suddenly found myself here! I should think you would know more of this situation than I would... um..." It was only then that she realized the creature she was talking to was, in fact, a creature. And quite unlike any she'd ever seen before!

"Well of course I know about it!" the creature answered. "We're the ones who pulled you all here!"

Melody tilted her head. "'You all?'" By her eyes, she and the creature were quite alone.

The creature ignored her. "Gah, what are they doing up there that we'd have a latecomer of all things? You missed everything!" it snapped, as though it were somehow Melody's fault. Before she could protest such a thing, however, the creature let out a deep sigh. "Uuuuugh... Fine. Okay human, here's the short version: evil is stirring, there's bad things happening, and you guys need to stop it. Good? Good!"

"Now wait a-"

"Good luck!" The creature wriggled and twirled about in the air, and rather suddenly, the room around Melody - and the creature itself - disappeared! She felt a rush of wind all around her... and soon realized it was because she was falling! With a scream, she had just enough time to notice the other humans gathered below before WHAM! A young man with blonde hair had come running up to the group just in time to break Melody's fall. Granted, it hadn't been a very dangerous fall... but it was still an unpleasant landing.

"Owww...!" Slightly dizzy from the sheer rapid speed of everything that was happening, she pushed herself up into a sitting position, only to realize she was still seated atop the young man! "Oh!" She quickly threw herself off of him, leaping to her feet and quickly brushing her dress off. "I'm so very sorry for that! I... Well, I actually have no idea what's going on." She looked around the collective people, intending to ask them for information, but the looks on their faces suggested they might be in the very same clueless boat as she.

It's then that she realized that she was in the middle of a forest, surrounded by trees and without a single other being in sight. Looking around, she couldn't see a building, a road, or even another human! ...Er, beyond those immediately around her, of course. "May I ask where we are? And... how exactly we came to be here?" Did anyone even know? She certainly didn't!

What a couple of pricks. Were they seriously not going to answer a single question before sending them off to who knew where? The shades they just suddenly passed out to her were real nice, and Yurie put hers on after a moment's hesitation, but that sure as shit didn't make up for this nonsense. All she knew was that if she ever found this go home item that MagnaAngemon was talking about, she was taking it without hesitation.

Of course, it'd help Yurie's mood if Cameron Mason managed to shut the fuck up. Holy hell, there was no way that was a real person running around screeching about superheroes. Brainless little shit probably thought he had a vapid-ass image to maintain to all his legions of late zoomer and Gen Alpha fans. Her irritation spiked as the angels flashbanged them again, and Yurie barely managed to flip them the bird as she was likely teleported away.

When she opened her eyes next, Yurie was completely unsurprised to see that they were in some generic forest. God, they really were hitting all the isekai tropes one by one here, weren't they?

"This sucks," She groused with a sigh, about to say something further before the pop star unironically started Naruto running and going off on his own. That tore it. Yurie could practically feel a blood vessel about to burst. She opened her mouth to start to bitch him out, but shut it again as some girl just outright landed off him.

"...Snrk." Yurie almost managed to repress her snicker at the sight of the little moron getting exactly what he deserved before turning her eyes to the newcomer. "Right, lemme guess: you clicked on a spam email like the rest of us suckers? Congrats, a bunch of AIs larping as monsters just threw us to the wolves to, and I quote, 'save their world'. By making other AI monsters stronger or something, whatever." She said with air quotes where necessary, rolling her eyes at the thought. "If that makes no sense, you're now just as caught up as us, because that's all they fuckin' told us too. Now, uh, you mind getting off the guy you're on? One sec." She patiently waited for the other girl to do so before squatting down to stare down at Cameron.

"Look, you can drop the whole stage persona, you know. I'll even sign an NDA if we ever make it out of this that I won't blab you can act like a person who doesn't spike the blood pressure of everyone of age to vote." Yurie stood back up, running a hand over her forehead as she looked around. Great. Nothing but trees as far as the eye could see. Might as well get shit out of the way because the angels didn't give them a single second to get their shit together.

"Anyways, most of us don't know each other's names, and it's probably a good idea since those douchebags up top're sticking us together for who knows how long. So I'll start. I'm Yurie Shinozaki, other way around if you're Japanese." A quick glance in the only other Japanese girl's direction.

---

The big angel guy didn't seem to want to answer anyone's questions, instead summoning up several pairs of glasses and goggles. Isaac's happened to be a pair of sleek black goggles, polished to a reflective finish. Strapping them on, they fit quite snuggly. Not too constricting, but not loose enough that they'd be in danger of coming off. Even then he could always adjust them sometime later. And what do you know, they matched his wardrobe. If these really were necessary for all this digimon stuff, he'd've had mixed feelings about wearing bright yellow goggles or something.

Before he could reasonably do anything else, all he heard at the tail end of the conversation was "You'll find out" before there was another flash of light. He was in a forest this time, with all these other strangers. Looks like they were taking the "Go find monsters in the woods" approach. The shortest of the group spoke out first, yelling out before taking off, and then coming back quickly afterwards. Isaac looked towards the short boy and half-assedly pointed in his direction. "I like your enthusiasm. You will be the first to die."

Just then, as if fate willed it so, another girl fell out of the goddamn sky and landed on said boy. Isaac's normally stoic frown broke into a toothy half smile at the circumstances. The new girl, much like everyone else was quite confused. One of the other girls, a pink-haired one, explained the situation with what little info they had, before introducing herself at Yurie. Isaac stepped forwards, removing the goggles from his eyes to the edge of his beanie. "Name's Isaac. Isaac Skye. Work for for a software company out in New York. Ain't much else to it."

---

She didn't get a response. Typical. Apparently these "digimon" were no different than humans, when it mattered. She was even beginning to doubt the existence of their supposed "god," if everything it did was just something that this "MagnaAngemon" was actually the one doing. She was about to speak up when the creature summoned a pair of glasses in front of her.

Glasses? Why glasses? And... did these things have a bloody blue-light filter!? These, uh... "digivices" seemed kind of stupid. Was this a Persona 4 kind of thing? Were they going to go on an adventure to fight monsters while discovering their true selves? Ugh, gag me. She was about to say something, once again, when MagnaAngemon continued only to say that they were stuck here no matter whether they wanted to be here or not, and that the only way out was to succeed or find someone strong. Great, so these digimon things really are just as bad as humans.

Kari had just reached out to grab her "digivice" when there was another bright flash, this time taking them all to a forest. The shortest human decided to Area 51 run into the forest, only for a new arrival to fall onto his head. And, just great, this one looked like a rich bitch. Just as Kari thought this, she took a mental step back. Was she really letting some sort of angel make her this upset?

... Yeah, probably. But he was gone now, and there was no need to be angry at these other people. At least not yet. Sooner or later they'd probably show themselves to be deserving of it, but for now they only deserved the benefit of the doubt. She let out a deep sigh and imagined the sun's light going from the top of her head and down her body, leaving through the tips of her toes. That was better. By the time she finished her slight meditation, the others were giving out their names.

"I'm Yurie Shinozaki, other way around if you're Japanese."

"Name's Isaac. Isaac Skye. Work for for a software company out in New York. Ain't much else to it."

"Yeah, thanks and all, but I'm not giving my name out. Call me whatever you want, it doesn't matter to me. Also, sorry if I seem ticked off, that angel guy sort of caused that."

Now then, where were these "partners" of theirs?

Sasha's glare at the two Angels deepened as they brushed off the questions, but before she could open her mouth to say anything, her attention was snatched away by the appearance of the mysterious objects. As they took form from the light the Angel had summoned, it seemed hers was one of those among them that manifested as a pair of goggles; though hers appeared a little more heavy duty than many of the others around them, with dense glass lenses and a solid steel frame that made them look a lot like some of dad's old equipment.

She reached out and took them- maybe these would give them the abilities the Angels seemed to think they possessed? The female Angel's words seemed to corroborate that idea, and Sasha was about to press them for details when-

"Fare thee well, humans."

Sasha blinked, and they were no longer in the marble room. She looked around the forest, and between the other individuals assembled there, at first bewildered; and then, as reality sunk in, increasingly furious. Just as quick as they'd been to snatch them away from their lives without so much as a by-your-leave, those 'Angels' had unceremoniously dumped them in another unfamiliar place, beneath an unfamiliar sky- and expected them to get to work?

"Kurva", she spat, wishing she'd had the presence of mind to levy that one on the two who'd dropped them here. She knew their type all too well from what dad had told her when she was old enough to understand. Just like the company that had tossed him and mum aside, they looked at other people and their lives like numbers on a sheet, resources to be allocated or problems to be solved. Well, if they were Angels, may the devil take them. She wasn't going to do their bidding, not without a damn good reason she should abandon her responsibilities to pick up the slack for them.

She looked around. Most of the others were in a similar state of disbelief, but one of them- the one who she could have sworn was little more than a small child- seemed outright enthusiastic about doing the Angels jobs for them. She sighed, reaching out after them-

And then, with a flash of light, a new person arrived in their midst, hanging precariously in midair above the child(?) for a long, tense moment. Sasha froze, her heart jumping into her mouth; but as she saw them fall, she made for their position, catching up to them just as she landed, almost crushing the boy she'd landed on.

"Hey, are you alright?" Fortunately, it looked like it hadn't been too severe a collision; the girl was up and talking again in a moment, at least, and while the boy seemed momentarily dazed he didn't seem outright hurt either. The pink-haired girl who'd been clonked over the head by the Angel caught up to them as well, seemingly less concerned but at least willing to explain what the newcomer had 'missed'.

"Try not to think about it too much. We'll find a way out." She nodded along to the other girl's explanation; presumably if they'd been snatched here as easily as that, it wouldn't be too tall an order to find someone who'd be willing to send them back. She then turned her attention to the boy, still lying on the ground. She offered him a hand to get up, when-

"Look, you can drop the whole stage persona, you know." The pink-haired girl also directed her attention to the boy, crouching down to glare at him at the same time Sasha offered him a hand up. "I'll even sign an NDA if we ever make it out of this that I won't blab you can act like a person who doesn't spike the blood pressure of everyone of age to vote."

"Excuse me?" It wasn't quite as fierce as the glare she'd levelled at the angels, but Sasha couldn't help but stare disapprovingly at the girl; but a moment later, as the meaning of her words sunk in, she turned her attention back to the boy. Now that she mentioned it, and that she was this close, there was something oddly familiar about him. While he certainly looked very young, there were a few telltale signs that he wasn't exactly an outright child; though he was short, his proportions didn't match the profile of someone who was still growing, and while his face and features were soft, they seemed carefully arranged in that fashion. She stared, trying to get a read on him-

And then it hit her. She'd seen him before; and heard the song he'd burst into earlier. He was the pop star Kat had recently become obsessed with, to the detriment of her chores, finances and Sasha's sleep schedule. Yes, it was the face she'd seen pinned on her sister's bedroom wall, and on the TV when she'd caught her staying up late to watch his newest music videos: Cameron Mason.

"... Right." Sasha stared at the little toerag before her. God, this was all she needed right now. "Okay. I don't like the way she just spoke to you either, but I can agree with one thing. Let's be grown-ups here. Let's not go running off to god knows where in a place we don't know and can't trust, and let's keep the theatrics to a minimum." Kat was going to be so mad when she found out she'd met Cameron Mason, but that anger was a drop in the bucket compared to the deep, deep dread Sasha herself was feeling right now.

She sighed, deeper this time, and got back up to her feet. The pink haired girl and some of the others were making introductions. She guessed she might as well bite the bullet.

"I'm Sasha Koslova, and I don't know about the rest of you, but I don't have the slightest intention of running around for those two." She looked around the others, gauging their reactions to what was going on. None of them, bar him, seemed particularly enthusiastic about doing busywork for the Angels. But it seemed like the general mood was more frustration and confusion that could bubble over any moment than anything that would be conductive to getting them home. So she took a deep breath and spoke again. "If they brought us here that easily, it stands to reason we can find someone willing to send us back. Let's get our heads on straight, stick together and see if there's anyone around here who isn't a complete tool."

Before anyone could answer, someone landed on top of him, knocking Cameron’s face into the ground. The young Pop Star was not at all concerned by it though. The girl apologized, and got off of him quickly. “Don’t worry about it! It’s nice to have new friends drop in! Hehe” He giggled.

Then the girl with Pink hair had rather… unkind things to say. Cameron tilted his head. “Stage Persona? Whatever do you mean?” The blonde girl offered her hand to help him up, and Cameron accepted. Once he was on two feet again, Cameron’s eyes lit up. “I think someone is just grumpy, and needs a hug!” And then he attempted to give her one.

The one named Isaac said he liked his enthusiasm, and he’d be the first to die… Cameron just blinked. He didn’t know what that was about… “Uh… thanks I think?”

Really, everyone in the group seemed grumpy. He figured that was probably the reason he was here. To brighten everybody’s day. “Go back? But… we just got here… Guys, I know the angels weren’t nice to us, but… they need our help. And I for one don’t think it’s right to just leave them hanging. Oh, my name is Cameron. Cameron Mason. But you all probably knew that already.” He winked. “You can also call me Cam, or Cammy if you want.”

While the reactions of the various people around her were far from pleasant - Cameron's overbearing cheer excluded - Melody certainly couldn't fault them for their present unhappiness. Having just been plucked from her home and quite literally dropped into the middle of nowhere, she felt somewhat irritated herself at the situation. ...Come to think of it, how was her home? It was almost time for dinner; surely her family would be worried when she didn't appear for it! While her parents and siblings alike were often apart for business and other matters, they were at least somewhat close. They'd surely worry over her sudden disappearance!

No, no, calm down, Melody, she mentally chided herself. I must remain calm! If there is a way INTO this place, then surely there is a way OUT of it, as well! All she had to do was find the way out, and everything would be right again! Though, given another look around, finding her way to anything would likely be an ordeal. She'd never seen this place before, and even with the... colorful explanations given by the others, she was still quite lost regarding the overall situation.

A group of people suddenly appearing in another world, apparently chosen by holy beings to fulfill some world-saving purpose? She'd watched and read many a tale such as that. Perhaps that should be how she approached this one! "In other words... we are in what might be referred to as an 'isekai', yes?" she inquired of the group. It wasn't a perfect explanation, of course, but having a name to put to the situation made it at least easier to wrap her head around. ...Still, the very idea that she'd been yanked into another world by celestial beings left her head quite fuzzy. To think such things could even happen...! Perhaps she was dreaming? ...No, that was unlikely; her stomach and chest were aching from her impromptu landing. This was... really happening?!

Shaking the thoughts from her head for the moment, lest she be quickly overwhelmed by them, Melody instead faced the group and gave a formal, clearly practiced curtsey. "I am Melody, the youngest daughter of the Herzal family. Our strange circumstances aside, it's most pleasant to meet you all!" Would any of them recognize her family name? She knew there were plenty of people who did, and even she understood that not all of those who approached her in friendship did so with kind intentions. In a way, that made the gruff and grumbly introductions of the others feel more genuine, which brought an amused smile to her face.

A smile that was sadly quick to vanish as another, smaller portal suddenly appeared above her head and rather rudely spat out a pair of glasses at her head! The glasses smacked her firmly on the brow, causing a comical "Gwah!" to escape her lips! Well, if she'd had any doubts about the aches of her torso, the new pain in her forehead certainly dispelled them! Rubbing at the ache in question with one hand, she bent down and lifted the odd glasses with her other, rising and inspecting them with a curious gaze. "Are these... glasses?" They certainly looked well made, but Melody had never had a need for such things.

Though it was at that point she realized that everyone else had some manner of eyewear as well! How curious... She recalled that in many an isekai plot, the "hero" often received some manner of boon that allowed them an advantage in their efforts. Perhaps these were similar? Though she failed to see how glasses could affect much advantage... Still, what harm in finding out? With a shrug, she carefully slipped them over her eyes. "...Curious. My vision doesn't seem to be- AH!" Rather suddenly, the names of those around her began to appear, one by one, above their heads! Looking around, nothing else seemed to be different, at least for now, but sure enough, whenever someone moved or shifted positions, their name followed them. She removed the glasses, and the names disappeared from view. She donned them once more, and sure enough, the names reappeared. "How strange! Everyone, I can see your names above your heads! Is this a common feature of eyewear such as this?" Her parents both wore glasses out in public. Was this how they always managed to remember people's names so easily?

Yui listened and watched silently. Most of the others weren't happy, aside from the... kid, she assumed. She couldn't really blame any of them. Those angels had brushed off their questions right before sending them to some forest. She took a breath, unsure of how to feel. Well, introducing herself was probably a good start.

"My name is Azuma Yui... Yui Azuma, and I'm from Tokyo." Her voice was emotionless, and she didn't attempt to smile. "I would prefer it if you referred to me by my surname." She put her glasses on, and true to what the girl had said, she could see names above everyone's heads, like a video game. "Good feature. Now it'll be easier to remember everyone's names." She looked around. As Yui turned her head, she could see letters at the top of her vision. It took the young woman a moment to realize it was a kind of compass.

"If we're stuck here, then it makes sense to find a way home." Yui shifted the glasses up onto her forehead. "If what the angels said was true, someone or something might be able to send us back." She scratched her chin. "It seems like a stupid idea to panic, or waste energy being mad. It's like a game or something. We get to the next objective and hope that someone on the way can help us."

At this point, Yurie couldn't tell who was going to give her more of a headache, Cameron Mason or this Sasha chick that decided she was being a little mean to the fucking celebrity. At least it seemed little miss Slav realized how much of a pain in the ass the little pink douche was going to be after a moment, though. Cameron attempted to hug Yurie, and she refuted every single Fameron's dream by firmly keeping him an arm's length away.

"Uh, no." She tutted, stepping back and folding her arms. "None of that. And really? You're just gonna help someone because they asked you out of nowhere? I'm all for finding a way home and not staying a minute longer than we have to."

As the others started to put their assorted goggles and glasses on, Yurie did the same, pleasantly surprised to find that it seemed to actually be mildly useful. A built-in HUD with a compass was actually pretty sick. Now if only there was a GPS of some sort. She gave the girl who refused to give her name a blatant stare. Kari, huh? Whatever stupid reason she had for not giving her name out, it was pointless now.

"Anyways, should probably find a way out of this forest first. Pick a direction and walk, maybe? And no splitting up, rather not turn this into a bad horror movie."

"Yeah, let's- let's not do that." Sasha said coolly as Cameron attempted to hug her as well. Again, Kat would try and strangle her if she ever found out about this, but she might well end up strangling him if this kept up. Although it seemed more likely the pink-haired girl- Yurie?- would beat her to it. Sasha couldn't judge her for being upset and angry at the situation or exasperated at Cameron but damn. Forget a hug, someone clearly needed a hot drink and a good night's sleep.

Well, she could worry about that later. For now, she had to stay on track.

"We don't know what they wanted our help for, or even if they were telling the truth about anything else." She said to Cameron, before looking around to the others who had weighed in. Admittedly, there was a nagging doubt at the back of her own mind- a part of her that didn't want to turn down anyone in need- but at the moment she found it easy to quell. It was one thing to offer help, and another to be forced. At any rate, It seemed like Yurie and the other Japanese girl present- Yui- were of much the same mind of her, as was the newcomer- Melody- despite her apparent fascination with the strange device that the Angels had furnished her with. Sasha checked her own- they really did look like dad's old welding goggles, but the female Angel had mentioned them having impressive abilities. At least marginally curious, she slipped them over her eyes-

"Oh, wow," She blinked as her vision was filled with a not-insignificant amount of data, almost exactly like a heads-up display from a science fiction movie. Names hovered over the heads of each of them assembled, as well as a symbol that looked like the call button of a phone; and at the top of her vision where her eyes met the bridge of her nose, there were several letters that remained fixed in place even as she looked around. A compass? Well, a map would have been handy, but that was better than nothing.

"Yeah, we can play around with these some more once we have a better idea of where we are," she said, as she pulled them back off. Perhaps it was the stress of the last few minutes catching up, but she was getting a headache herself, and finding their bearings would help with that. Yurie suggested picking a direction and walking, and though the idea of wandering off in some new, unknown world was a daunting one, it wasn't exactly like they had a glut of better options. "Whether we're going to help them or not, we're not going to get much done hanging around here. Let's see if we can find a river: if we head downstream from it we might be able to find a village or a camp, or at least somewhere to set up for the night."

"A fine suggestion, Sasha!" Melody answered with enthusiasm. "It will do us no good to stand and grumble, yes? And I do believe I spotted a river when I was..." She glanced at Cameron and blushed slightly. "...arriving. Though I confess it may simply have been a trick of the shadows. I am far from the outdoorsy sort." Given her designer clothes, carefully styled hair, and steady makeup, even a blind person might have drawn that conclusion, though Melody herself seemed somewhat oblivious to how obvious she was. Still, her smile was genuine. "Who should take the lead? Perhaps you, Isaac?" Thank goodness for these glasses. With all the excitement happening, she doubted she'd have been able to maintain anyone's names otherwise. And it wouldn't do for her to be rude, even in these strange circumstances.

Once the group got underway, whichever way they were going, she began to look around in earnest, eyes wide behind her HUD lenses as her head turned this way and that. "But my, what an incredible forest this is," she commented, reaching up to prod at low-hanging branches and bending to more closely observe the various leaves on the ground. She had little experience in the outdoors, but biology had been a long-standing part of her studies at home. And as the group walked on, that biology knowledge had its first chance to shine. "Hm?" She looked down closer at the ground, then turned her head way up toward the trees... causing her to bump right into Yui. "Ah! Please forgive me!" She bowed her head in apology. "I simply... Well, look up, if you will."

Whether anyone did or not, Melody pointed up toward the various trees above them. "Look there. Do you see those leaves? The various shapes and sizes of them all? That's most unnatural!" She pointed to one tree in particular. "That tree, for example! See how many different kinds of leaves are on it? Most trees have only a single type, with distinctive shapes and sizes. Yet these trees each seem to be growing multiple varieties of leaves! Might these trees be part of some cross-pollination experiment?" It seemed like a stretch, even to her; who would dedicate the resources to an entire forest of experimental trees? It almost looked like the trees themselves had no idea what leaves they ought to grow!

---

Isaac seemed somewhat confused about the whole name and compass thing. Were there more to these goggles than he had seen? Or were they simply not turned on? He slipped them back on over his eyes, and lo and behold, he could see everyone's names, as well as some sort of compass near the top. It didn't exactly have a quest marker on it so he was kind of screwed there. At least now he wouldn't forget people's names. He'd been at Ironwood Studios for about three years now, and there were still people he didn't know the name of. Then again he didn't exactly go out of his way to try and learn their names.

But, the group began discussing what to do next. It seemed the general consensus as of now seemed to be "Pick a direction and start walking". One of the members, Sasha, suggested looking for a river and following it upstream in hopes of finding civilization of some kind. "That's not a bad idea. Another alternative might just be looking for a trail of some kind. We'd be more liable to meet more people that way, assuming they aren't out to kill us. Who knows, maybe they'll even have signs?" Isaac shrugged.

Then the girl who fell out of the sky suggested that Isaac also lead the group. If there were critters out here, they'd probably think twice if the first thing they saw was his big angry mug. "...Yeah, sure I can lead. Should be pretty hard to lose track of the giant." He said, his voice and face completely deadpan. "Why don't we head... That-a way." He pointed off somewhere westward. It seemed as good a choice as any. He made a single beckoning motion before slipping his hands in his jacket pockets and silently walking forwards, occasionally looking over his shoulder to make sure nobody had gotten lost.

After a while, Melody had mentioned something about the trees having mismatched leaves, and as Isaac looked up at a nearby tree, sure enough many of the leaves didn't match the ones next to it. She had mentioned some sort of crossbreeding going on with the trees, but that seemed unlikely to Isaac. "I doubt that. If we're supposed to be inside of a digital world, it likely isn't a real tree, just a rendition of one made from various data. The leaves are likely randomly generated from different textures or something. Either that, or it's an amalgamation of different types of tree data thrown together and that's what you end up with. But who knows, maybe I'm wrong." Isaac shrugged with his hands out to his side once more. Hopefully they'd find some sort of trail, river, or God forbid someone else to help them out sooner rather than later.

Yui kept quiet, observing the others. She felt she would have trouble with Shinozaki and Mason. Their personalities seemed purely driven by emotion, which was something she didn't gel well with. Best to keep them at arm's distance and try to assess them. The others, though, she could get along with as long as they didn't do anything too unexpected. Finding a river or stream seemed logical enough, and she nodded.

She followed the group, finding herself at the tail end as they walked. Herzal seemed fascinated by the leaves. It was an oddity to say the least, but not something that particularly piqued her interest. However, something did get her attention: the feeling of being watched. The hairs on the back of her neck were standing on end. Yui began looking around.

There, in the bushes!

She could see a pair of bright green eyes in the shrubs, maybe about a meter off the ground. Whatever it was, it didn't seem to be afraid of them. More curious than anything. Not wanting to scare whatever it was, Yui reached out to the person closest to her and tugged on their clothing. Yui didn't dare look away from the eyes, lest their owner decide to flee into the woods.

Following along with the group, Melody listened as Isaac said his piece about the odd collection of leaves in the trees around them. However, rather than the leaves themselves, something else he said caught her attention. "Wait, digital world?" she asked, frowning in clear confusion. "What do you mean by that?" Even as she asked it, however, the cogs in her head began to spin, and she pieced it together herself! "Wait, we're inside a digital world? No one told me that!" Though, in fairness, her "explanation" regarding this world was far from informative. And now that she thought back on it, this all began when she clicked a link in her email... Perhaps that was the connection between her world and this one?

But even if that knowledge answered one question, it raised so many more! For example, how had they been transported to a digital world? How were living human beings inside a digital world? This felt far too real to be a simple VR trick. "Hmm... If this is a digital world, and we're supposed to save it from something, would that mean- GWAGH!" Her question is interrupted by a very unladylike sound torn from her throat as Yui very suddenly grabs her by the back of her dress! She's bent over backwards and balancing on a single leg! "Y-Yui! I'm going to fall again!"

They started to move through the forest, and Yurie didn't protest when one of the white kids, Isaac, just took the lead. Better him than her. She didn't have an interest in what was basically an exercise in herding cats, especially not certain people among them. Maybe that perpetual scowl on his face would keep the annoying ones in line...

...And maybe she could get home before the university failed her for not showing up to class. Yeah, right. At this rate, both those hopes were a fucking wash. Better to just deal with it for now. Not like bitching about it would do anything.

So she followed along with the group, only really paying attention again when their apparent leader said something sounded like he might know what he was talking about in the only field that mattered. Huh. Didn't he say something about that before? Right.

Yurie strode up next to Isaac, her hands up behind her head as she walked.

"Said you worked for a software company, right? Lemme guess, code monkey? Don't have much experience on that side of the fence."

She wasn't hoping for much, but any excuse to talk shop was better than none.

Her suggestion to search for a body of water and trace it seemed well-received, and as Isaac took the lead Sasha was happy to fall in with the group as they moved along. She opted to move to the front: she couldn't be sure of everyone else's credentials, but more than a handful of them looked like they rarely left the house, let alone explored the vast world nature afforded them. So while wouldn't exactly call herself a survivalist, she probably had the edge when it came to experience here, which would give her something to focus on and keep her mind busy for the time being.

"It's impressive, certainly," she said, as Melody began to wax lyrical about their surroundings. She didn't feel too much like talking, but Yurie started on to Isaac about something to do with computers; so while the circumstances were far from ideal, it was at least a lifeline she could throw to anyone else in the group who didn't know their RAM from their memory. "I'm from out in the country, and I've never seen anything like this." Despite the best efforts of the various outsiders who came and went, her little town back in Indiana was no slouch when it came to natural beauty; but even so this particular forest had a wild, untamed feel to it that blew anything she was familiar with out of the water.

Isaac said something about the possibility there was no overarching logic or reason to the state of things here, the likelihood of them just being the result of random chance or some kind of algorithm. She wasn't quite sure she knew enough to entirely rule it out, but something seemed a little off about that all the same.

"Who knows? If those two weren't talking complete nonsense, we're in a whole new world with a logic of its own." Though they'd called it a Digital World, the Angels had certainly seemed like more than computer programs; and again, she was reminded of her dad's old books. They were only able to comprehend things through a lens formed from their understanding of their own world; who knew what this place actually was, what vast history had formed it and led to their abduction here.

She wondered, faintly, if the form of the Angels had been anything more than a convenience. In the stories she'd read, alien beings often took forms suited to communicate with those they deigned to contact, and she couldn't help but recall how the voices of the beings had resonated into her head before they deployed the strange light. The world around them certainly felt real, with the rich scent of the air, the cool breeze moving between the swaying trees, the crunch of bark and vegetation underfoot and the sounds of birdsong in the distance; but could they really trust anything they saw here? They only had the word of beings who seemingly had nothing but contempt for their agency and autonomy to go by, and even if this wasn't a simulated universe of some kind, it seemed oddly convenient that it would be so much like their own.

Before she could dwell on those thoughts too much, however Melody queried the term 'Digital World': wow, had they told her even less than the rest of them? "Apparently so. But remember, that may only be our closest frame of reference for it. We're in an alien world, where life could have turned out entirely different from anything we know. Who knows how this world's history has shaped it, or what purpose anything here could se-"

"GWAGH!"

She trailed off somewhat as Melody let out a sudden noise, looking back at her to,see Azuma- it was going to take a little bit of getting used to, but if she was more comfortable being referred to by her surname, she supposed it was only respectful to oblige her- holding on to her tightly. She stopped in place, squinting at the two of them. She hadn't heard her speak up, and while it was possible it was just shyness, a closer look at her face made out that she was fixated on something. She looked between the two of them, sparing a quick look in the direction that Azuma was staring off in, noting the two eyes staring out at her before she started to make her way back towards them-

She froze. Her head snapped back around in the direction the other girl had been looking in, and there was no mistaking it. Even from where she was standing, those vivid green eyes shone out brightly out of the darkness at Melody and Azuma. A number possibilities rushed through her head, some distinctly less pleasant than others; but as the others kept walking, a thought dawned on her. She didn't know how this world worked, but a wild animal would have bolted or charged by now if someone was staring directly at it. A voice in her head was telling her not to take the chance, but considering the apparent lack of options otherwise-

"Hello?" She asked, softly, as she looked towards the patch of vegetation the owner of the eyes was concealed in. As unwise as it potentially was, perhaps whatever was there was friendly; and if it was, perhaps it could tell them more than those two so-called Angels. "Are you lost too?"

---

Well, so far so good. Nothing of any real consequence had happened yet. Just a quick talk to... what was her name, Melody or something? Hopefully they'd find something soon. He was used to walking, but the rest of the group might not be so used to it, and they'd have to park it soon. Hopefully he wouldn't have to give a piggyback to any of these poor schmucks.

A voice from beside him caught his attention next. One of the Japanese girls, Yurie, had began asking him about his work, saying she "didn't have much experience on that side of the fence". Did she mean hacking? Or something more mundane like cybersecurity? "Yeah, a place called Ironwood Studios. They do a little bit of everything from security to data management. I mostly just make and test code right now. Do some server maintenance on occasion. Pay is decent enough." It was kind of boring work, but it made the time go by, and if he ever suddenly decided he wanted to jump ship he'd have some good experience to put on his resume.

Another voice, this time from a girl named Sasha, spoke, saying something about how the so-called digital world might operate on completely different logic. "Look, as long as it doesn't operate on macOS I think we'll figure it out eventually." As he finished his retort, Sasha seemed to start talking to Melody behind him. He didn't pay much attention, instead turning his attention back towards the direction they were walking.

As his train of thought began to wander, one of the girls let out a cry. It sounded less like she was being stabbed and more like she was falling over. He turned around to see Yui tugging on the dress of Melody as she stared at something in the bushes. Was there something there? He looked around before locking eyes with whatever was in said bushes. It didn't seem too big, and was hopefully alone. If it was, it probably wouldn't attack a group all by itself, and was attempting to hide.

Sasha then decided to take the lead and try talking to it. If it was anything like those angels like before, it might be intelligent enough to speak. Isaac stepped towards the center of the group, his scowl unintentionally growing deeper as he approached. He'd leave the talking to the others, he'd just do what he does best and try to look intimidating to try and dissuade and violent actions from the thing.