I don't know how it happened. I was just on my way out to run errands and deliver some stuff to a friend when it occured.
I had my bag with 1 large pack of hotdogs, partial bag of charcoal and the lighter for it, a box of sandwich crackers (wheat and cheese), and a bag of bambo scewers. Also had a new heavy duty 'emergancy' poncho and a thin plastic version, still in its bag that I was going to put in my car cause we been having a lot of rain this year.
It being late fall, I had on my old but still warm blue hooded coat, black pants and new boots with added ankle support. Those are perscription only type footware really. But nice with needed padding so I don't really need socks, which is good as my knee's don't bend right anymore. - right off topic, sorry.
Anyway I was just stepping off the curb and reaching for my car door handle when this swarm(?) of strange butterflies descended on me. At first it was just one, but in moments there were hundreds of them, looked brown and black, maybe like monarchs, not sure as it happened so fast.
Other than still fat, leg still twisted and a few old scars, I was 'new' or partially new maybe. Still not sure I can explain it.
The smell was getting to me though, making me feel a bit sick. So I determined where it was the strongest and then moved in the opposite direction. Never been one for strong sweet smells like that. Some are attracted to them, but not me. (I learned later that was a good thing in this case - yikes.)
I am not sure how long I walked before I started to day dream a bit. Was running one of my favorite fantasies through my head, about super hero's and people born with powers. Now mind you, I have always had powers, but they are subtle things. Detection based mostly. Only 'projection' power I got was a bad case of static electricity and the ability to project an electromagnetic field that messed with electronics. Not really very useful for much of anything. Well the Field protected me from spirits to some degree, but that was it. Everything else I had was from years of specialized combat training but in my society, not really useful for much beyond showing off. Besides I did not have a weapon so it was a moot point anyway.
Anyway I threw my hand out, picturing a bolt of lightning striking this cloud of gnats I saw off to one side. Thing is, I got it, but it was more like a small ball of lighting, that expanded and consumed the gnats as I made a 'zzzzot' sound. I stopped dead, looking at the now fried gnats, then at my hand. This time I just tried to make sparks but nothing happened. I consider that, then make this zzz sound. That got the 'lightning fingers' to work. Worked even better when I held my fingers appart in different forms, like the V which caused the raising line of electricity, or I could get a steady arc when I did the 'sign of the devil', with the arc jumping from pinkie to pointer. Other than a slight tingle I did not Feel anything like I normally did from this. IE the sting of a static discharge. Took me a bit more to work out how to form a lightning ball and then throw it. I mixed in some stuff from games I used to play, for aiming it and giving myself something to picture. What I got was a good sized, highly accurate ball of lightning that I used to blast another of those clouds of gnats I saw around the path I was on. They did not survive the encounter with my cloud of charged particles.
I considered that, then tried to do a fire version. That took a bit of work as I needed a sound of 'fire' which is hard to do as it does not make a lot of sounds in and of itself. I finally went with a Shhhh sound, like burning gas. Like the sound my lighter makes. I tossed it right in to the middle of a Huge nest of those gnats. The boom nearly blew me off my feet. Deafened me for a minute to. And that is how I worked out how to cast Fire Ball. Didn't know why the fire one made a bigger boom till I checked the center of the spot. Other than lots of dead bugs I found a vent with a strong methane smell coming from it. So apparently I hit the ball in to a cloud of flamible gas. But that showed me what the old dead smell was to. Small fishers of methane boiling up from below. So no more fire spells around here. On the plus side, no more biting gnats around either.
I looked around some more, but not finding anything interesting I went on my way.
A couple hours later the sky started to get dark as clouds rolled in. I could smell the rain coming. Which made me happy I had that new rain slicker with me. Took me a minute to get it out, unfolded and put on. It was bigger than I was expecting as it was listed as one size fits all. It's dark blue and has a big hood that fit over my jacket hood and hat nicely. Now some people wonder why I wear a hat under the hood, the simple answer is the brim of the hat keeps the top of the hood from getting in to my eyes, so I can see better. Worked well with the poncho hood to. This poncho is a heavy duty one made of rubber and nylon and really designed for a backpacker or the like. But I got it cause one, I am a Big man and two it was on sale. Most 'one size fit most' don't fit me well cause of my build. This one did and even reached to the middle of my calves, and has a wide connected pocket in the front. So I can wear it over my bag and there are tie straps holes so I can adjust it around the sleeves if I want. Even came with the ties, which is nice and unexpected. It also helped with the cold in the air which got worse with the storm.
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About an hour or so after the storm started I found a heavier section of woods, the nice part here is the big tree's cut down on some of the down pour and allowed me to at least look inside my bags with out getting them full of water.
Not knowing how long it would take me to find civilization, or something close to that, I had to ration my food. So I only took out one pack of crackers and had that for my dinner. It helped but I was still hungry.
The other problem was I could not sit down, never mind lay down, as my knee did not bend right and I could not get up from the ground with out help. So I have a real fear of falling.
Later on I found a crooked tree, with a limb almost perfect hieght for me to sit on. I looked around it to be sure, then carefully sat on it and got a bit of rest. I ate half a pack of crackers even as the last of the rain finally stopped.
I really could not afford to go to sleep, even though I was very tired. But I managed to prop myself on that branch enough to rest against the next tree over. From there I watched the nature spirits going about their normal business, careing for everything as normal. I don't mess with those kinds of spirits, even though I am quite aware of them. Most don't have much to do with humans anyway and besides, most are unaware that some of us can see them.
As I am resting I hear a lovely song and almost fell for it. Its a bit of nasty magic really, designed to get someone to fall asleep and never wake up. I turn till I see this evil type dryad and sigh at her, "Not going to work. I am quite aware of what your trying to do and if you keep it up I will fight back."
She smiles in a vicious way and keeps singing. I grunt, "I warned you."
I hold out my hand toward her, "By the Power of the Lady, the Light, and The Balance, I Rob cast thee From ME! So Mote it Be!" and, though I don't know why, said 'Program Execute' at the end. She let out a shriek as she was forced deep in to her own tree, several yards from me. She did not come back, but now several of the other spirits are aware I can sense them. I look at the ones staring wide eyed at me, "What ? She was being evil, so I did a basic protection from evil charm. Oh don't give me that look, I answer to the Universal Balance." which I do, or did back in my old world. Here I am not to sure, but the charm worked so I am happy. Do wonder about the computer speak at the end there however. I have noticed I got a lot of strange phrases running around in my head, especially when I try to use the few spells from home that actually worked. Not a great many there and mostly exorcisms or protections vs spirits. Other magics, like the lightning and fire stuff I did earlier, that is normally thought of as pure fancy. But then so is appearing in another world, which I am wondering why I am not panicking. Have been thinking on that as I walked. I am a great deal calmer than is normal, especially for me. But also I don't have a head ache. I have had at least a low grade head ache for the last 30 odd years. Now nothing. That does not happen often, also my emotions are usually more high strung and I panic easily, or I have since a stroke I had in my mid 20s. Before that I was pretty level headed. Like now really. It's a strange feeling that.
None of the other spirits do anything to me, but I am given a wide birth by the few here. I don't mind really, means no mischief from them on me.
Even so, I did doze off for a little bit, but woke the moment I felt myself start to fall over.
What I find is I was pushed, by what looks to be a zombie, a very old zombie at that. He is covered in vines and wood rot and I think that dryad is trying something new. I point and state clearly "By the Light and the Lady, Begone fell Thing, Execute" small varient, this one I pushed more and got a bright clear light which enveloped 'him' and well he faded away to nothing. Not really sure what happened to him at that point, except he was just Gone. Wierd.
The dryad, I heard her frustrated scream. I turn and look at her tree, "I am a Master Exorcist little spirit, trying stuff like that against me only annoys me. I am so not someone you want annoyed with you."
"You are a human, you only exist to destroy or be worm food." she snarls. I sigh and get stiffly up from here. I need to get out of her range before she really irks me and I pull out the demon hunting spells.
See that is what I did till I got to sick to pull it off. I was part of a group that hunted down and expelled demons and their minions from the world.
Last I checked, I am the last of the group to even keep up with any of that stuff anymore. The rest just dropped it and went on to mundane lives after we managed to banish one of the Big Demon Kings that had plagued our world. Me I documented it all. Though it reads like a bad fiction. Mostly as I was not a good story teller back then. I go through and edit it sometimes. Try to keep my records straight and all, in case he comes back. Bastard was eating the world magic, that is why so many things did not work the way they should. It was pure accident that we were able to defeat him and even then it's only cause Jim had an undiagnoised case of dyslexia, seeing letters or symbols backwards. Some of those symbols, done backwards, were what was needed to make the grand exorcism actually work. So as I said, was pure accident that we did what no other more skilled demon hunters had ever done.
Then the society retired us. Ungrateful prits. I was only 16 at the time and they threw us out for an 'unsanctioned exorcism'. Not a big loss in the long run really. Mostly as it turned out several members of the core were found to be in league with the demons, though it was some 20 years later that was discovered. Huge shake up in the secret societies about it. I only knew cause I kept in touch with a few other seekers. That is what I am, a Seeker, kind of a mystic really. Born with spirit and astral sight and a strong connection to the planes. People like me seek out the demons and spirits and can help remove the more unbalanced ones. It's not about Good and Evil, or Creation and Destruction for us, it's about keeping it all in balance so the worlds keep on going. I was recalling all that as I moved on from the nasty dryad and her undead 'toys'.