“It is against regulation 12-F to travel alone within the wilds. Energy storms, Quantum Flux, and Corruption run rampant in the wilds. As such, a partner is needed to ensure survival. This is especially true for new explorers into the new frontier.” -Quel’Tam Rules of Exploration

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From what Gregory told him, it seemed like the Village was a rather interesting place. It was located in a much more healthy part of the forest, and the place he was found in was known as ‘Corrupted land’. The Village itself was placed just on the edge of the forest and a large grassland. The infected look of the trees and grass seemed to decrease the further from the depths of the forest and instead they were replaced with more healthy shades of green and other... peculiar colors. Gregory continued forwards as he led Kylan out of the Forest, each step pulling the pair closer to more living creatures instead of the ominous silence of the previous place that Kylan had woken within. Looking around, Kylan felt slight surges of surprise as he saw the creatures of the forest, deer wandered with crystal antlers, rabbits nibbled at the grass as their bodies seemed to flicker between nothingness and existence. Birds roosted in the trees, the varieties more numerous then he could count at first glance, some of the creatures looked distorted, eyes and mouths forming along their bodies as they moved, some of the birds having wings that opened to reveal a curtain of thousands of tiny eyes while their faceless heads chirped with birdsong.

It was unnerving to see creatures that reminded him so much of Earth look so... corrupted. As if feeling the confusion and slight terror in Kylan’s body, Gregory spoke, his deep voice rumbling as it caused some of the more cautious creatures to flee, “Strange isn’t it? Everything looks so similar to Earth, yet it is all different.... We have a theory in the Village, all those disappearances on Earth, the cases of being spirited away, the victims of such anomalies might end up in this world. Some wouldn’t be able to get back to Earth, and staying here has strange... effects on creatures that aren’t native.” Pausing slightly Gregory kicked the ground, his body flying forwards, “I can explain to you in the village, its a bit safer there. And there are more people to talk to.” With a slight feeling of tension in his chest, Kylan made a muted sound that could be taken as agreeing to Gregory’s words. Unfortunately, the efforts the man made to calm Kylan down only made him more worried.

He didn’t feel like Gregory had any real intentions to hurt him, but it was the fact that the man was so casual about the changes that creatures in this world had that set of warning bells in Kylan’s mind. He only just arrived in this world, and while he had no food or water to date, the only thing that could count as an injury was the scratch on his hand due to holding the stone shard too tightly. Even then, it wasn’t a scratch that would bleed, but it brought an important point to Kylan’s mind.

What about diseases? In any world, there would be pathogens that would affect living creatures, and as a foreign entity within this one, he would likely need to build up resistances against the illness’s that stalked the creatures of the world. Shaking the thoughts out of his head as he followed Bastion through the forest, the pair soon coming to a stop in a clearing. Tossing a wrapped package to Kylan, Bastion spoke, “Here. It’s easy to loose your bearings around here, and people tend to get hungry far more easily... time doesn’t quite work like it did on Earth.” the hooded man chuckled lightly as he watched Kylan unwrap the package of food, the scent of meat filling the air. Looking at the strips of roasted jerky, Kylan felt a sudden pain in his belly, the sensation similar to a knife swirling through his guts. Now that he thought about it, he was rather hungry, so hungry that it hurt.

Licking his lips, Kylan cautiously lifted a strip of the Jerky and started chewing on it, the sudden flavor of the meat making him gag. Spasming as he coughed, spitting the disgusting meat out of his mouth, Kylan groaned, “W-what the hell!? This tastes like it’s raw!” His voice quivered slightly as he wiped his mouth, the thick taste of iron heavy on his tongue. Hearing the soft chuckle escape from Bastion’s hood, Kylan glared at the hunter, the deep rumbling voice of the man who saved him quietly filling the clearing, “It might taste bad but it’s cooked... most things taste like shit around here. This is meat from the same species of bat that I killed when I saved you. They are a good source of food, and they dry into Jerky rather easily.” Hearing the words, Kylan grimaced, nodding lightly as he looked at the heavily clothed figure of the hunter once more.

It was odd... Something felt off about this. That prickling feeling on the back of his neck told Kylan that something wasn’t normal, his sixth sense tingling ambiguously in an almost helpless fashion. Looking up into the sky, The clouds covered the horizon, hiding the sun and the Things that lived far above the atmosphere. Feeling the pangs of hunger suddenly attack him again, Kylan groaned as he took another bite out of the jerky. He was Starving, he had no idea why, but he was far more hungry then he had any right to be... then again, maybe this was a side effect of his sudden revival and healing upon entering this world? Rubbing his face with a free hand, Kylan shook his head as a slight wave of vertigo washed over him, the disgusting food churning in his stomach as his mind told him to reject it while his body eagerly devoured the meal. Watching Gregory eat a piece of the same kind of jerky Kylan shook his head at the man, “and you guys don’t have anything better then this to eat?”

The hunter shrugged, suddenly getting up and turning, walking away from Kylan as he was forced to scramble and follow after the man. As Kylan caught up with Gregory, the hunter spoke, “It’s not that we don’t have good food. Rather, these are rations above anything else, they are used as travel food. It builds character.” Chuckling lightly as he spoke the last sentence, Gregory gestured forwards, “We are almost at the town, I imagine you’re pretty hungry so we can get you a real meal there.” Feeling his stomach squirm inside of his gut, Kylan shuddered at the uncomfortable feeling, taking another bite of the disgusting jerky in his hands. The iron like taste slowly faded as his face was twisted into a grimace of disgust.

Seeing the grin that was doubtlessly on Gregory’s covered face through the shrug of his shoulders, Kylan exhaled slowly. Just a little further and he would be fine. Following after Gregory, it wasn’t long before the two came across an injured deer, the animal limping as blue blood oozed down it’s leg. Hearing a chuckle from Gregory, Kylan paused, watching the man suddenly lunge forwards with incredible speed and snap the neck of the stag. The creature limply fell down next to the hunter, it’s body lifted and hauled over Gregory’s shoulder. Seeing the several hundred pounds of meat easily lifted onto the hunter’s shoulders, Kylan gasped. How strong w-... right. Another world. Lower gravity. Shaking his head as his belly growled insistently, Kylan watched as Gregory leaped forwards and started heading back to the Village.

Arriving at the Village was fairly peaceful, the thick trees having thinned into less monstrous looking entities as their trunks narrowed enough for a man to wrap his arms around them. Looking around, traces of what looked to be a road was visible through the underbrush, small chiseled stones poking out from under the roots of the trees around them. Landing on the road, Gregory gestured to the Village in front of them, thick wooden trunks rising to the sky with sharpened tips created a wall. Braids of hemp rope linked the wooden walls together as a guard stood at the entryway. Upon seeing Gregory, the guard waved, his fur clothing rippling as sharp bone javelins were revealed by the side of his massive body. Feeling an aching pain in his head, Kylan wobbled as Gregory glanced over to him, suddenly moving to support the newcomer with one shoulder while holding the deer on the other. “Oy, Jim, we got a new guy. Take him to a room so he can get some rest, I’ll carve up this deer real fast so he can eat something. I found him just as he came through a rift in the Depths of the forest.” Looking over at Kylan the guard chuckled, his bone helmet hiding his face as he nodded. “Alright, I’ll take the kid and head to the tents.” Walking over, the guard grabbed Kylan by the side and lifted his body, pulling him onto his shoulder like a sack of grain. As the Guard walked, Kylan groaned, his view of the world darkening in thick pulses of pain, his body tensing as he shuddered, his bones suddenly aching. Being suddenly tossed onto the ground, the guard muttered something and left, leaving Kylan to suffer in the ‘soft’ animal furs under his body.

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Animal furs that felt like raw stones and thick roots digging into his back.

Groaning as he was suddenly tossed onto the ground, Kylan curled up, coughing as he felt his insides squirming, his face paling as a dim thought crossed his mind. ‘Damn it.... It was the jerky wasn’t it....’ clawing at the furs, Kylan felt his vision wobble as Gregory walked inside, Carrying a plate of venison. Seeing Kylan’s state, the hunter nodded as if nothing was wrong and forced the youth up, pulling Kylan’s body into a sitting position as he suddenly stuffed the meat into his mouth. Gagging as the taste of raw blood filled his mouth, Kylan’s eyes watered as he looked at Gregory with teary eyes. Feeling his blurry vision shifting, Kylan gasped for air as he swallowed the raw tasting meat, his vision wobbling as he suddenly collapsed to the side, hearing the soft words of the hunter who ‘saved’ him. “As much as I would like to coddle you, we don’t got the time for that. Things are moving a bit faster then I thought they would have... Just be strong and try to survive.... I wish we had a tutorial or something...” Shaking his head Gregory sighed as Kylan watched his body blur, the world around him fading into darkness a the figure of the hunter, the town, and the echoes of sound around him faded away.

Waking up was painful, Kylan’s vision was dark as the dim rustle of trees echoed above him. Groaning as he rolled off some thick roots, Kylan gasped for air as he looked at the sky, the horizon covered with thick clouds as thunder echoed in the distance. Seeing the sky, a sudden thought struck him- he wasn’t inside a tent anymore. The roots digging into his sides alerted him to the fact that he had been laying here for some time already. Slowly pushing himself up, the sudden scent of raw meat filled the air, the smell causing Kylan to push his hands to his mouth and gag as he saw the remains of two familiar creatures next to him.

A bat had it’s stomach gouged out and a deer suffered the same fate. Coughing as the thick blood mixed in the small grooves of the roots around him, Kylan shuddered as he realized his hands were coated in blood. More then that, thick, pulsing veins moved through his arms and into his chest, his clothes ripped and torn as the veins were dyed a purplish black. Coughing as he looked around the clearing, Kylan hesitantly wiped at his face, feeling dry blood flake off his mouth as he shuddered. Well, that explained the ‘jerky’ that he was eating and how everything went so... odd as soon as he went into the Village. he might have been hallucinating or something... W-wait. Did that mean he was a madman now!? Pushing back against the roots as the thoughts entered his mind, Kylan curled up and hugged his knees, a weak whisper escaping his throat. He wanted to go home. This... this wasn’t nearly the adventure he wanted.

Monsters roamed the woods around him, his sanity was questionable as he couldn’t tell if he was dreaming or if his previous experience was a dream. The thick, pulsating veins squirming deeper into his body showed no sign of stopping, maybe it would be easier to just lay down an-

A deep breath escaped Kylan’s lungs as he shook his head. It didn’t really matter did it? He would live the best he could in either life, and.. what... what was that sound? Tilting his head to the side, Kylan shuddered as he was suddenly aware of the incoherent whispers that seemed to echo around him, a brief shift of the thick foliage above him sending a sharp ray of sunlight onto the forest floor. Seeing the reality around him, Kylan jumped to his feet and stumbled backwards, his eyes looking along the thickly woven floor of roots as he noticed for the first time that they squirmed. The roots moved, ever so slightly, the tendrils of wood sinking around the corpses of the dead animals that he hunted. That he ate.... The thought of eating such animals raw and having no idea when he killed them was a problem. What was worse was how he could see the depression on the ground marking where he once lay... it was as if the roots would slowly swallow anything on them, leaving the bodies of their victims to feed the trees. Shivering at the thought, Kylan kicked at the ground, an expression of horror filling his face as he lifted into the air and was able to see the many heads and limbs of animals stuck into the squirming roots.

The roots were like a thick pile of snakes... weaving and crossing as they promised the animals caught within them a soft death. He could hear it, the soft, soothing whispers at the corners of his senses, the sounds just barely reaching him as they tried to lull him back into the pleasant world he was once in.

It would be nice to have a Village to start in, to have someone other them himself to rely on in the wilds. However, that was not his fate. Kicking against a trunk of a tree, Kylan pushed away from the forest floor, his torn shoes falling apart as his bare toes pressed into the soft bark. Feeling the warm bark give away under his foot, a thick tendril of discomfort threatened to push through Kylan’s body, his form shaking as he felt the soft whispers in his ears increase in volume. Shaking his head as he launched himself away from the trees, Kylan pushed through the trees, his eyes scanning the surroundings as he suddenly heard a soft voice echo near him, “Duck!”

Twisting in midair, Kylan’s body bent as he felt something fly past him, a thick stinger embedding itself in the tree next to him as a sharp gasp escaped his throat and a stream of curses erupted from his lungs while a thin red line opened on his shoulder, blood oozing from his body as it took a darker hue thanks to the growing infection in his veins. Kicking harder as he landed on another branch, Kylan heard the violent crack of wood breaking as he launched away from the scene once more, the world blurring around him as he blinked rapidly, his vision overlapping with the sensation of him being carried while the world rippled and twisted as his vision dimmed slightly. Groaning as the sudden vertigo washed over him, Kylan flinched as the world twisted, the thick trees morphing into tall mountains, the mossy ground shimmering as it took a cold glow, the green life around him fading into an endless white. Shivering as the temperature suddenly dropped, Kylan kicked forwards once more, his body shaking under the chilled winds that suddenly overwhelmed him. He had to run before they caught him. As he kicked into the snowy ground, the wet crunch of fresh snow shifted around his toes as he looked over his shoulder, a small mob with pitchforks and torches were chasing behind, their bodies rotting as their blue tinted limbs waved angrily. He was almo.... Wait, when did he start being chased?! Kylan shook his head as he felt another thick string of vertigo wash through him, the world twisting as he rejected what was around him. No, he was in a forest wasn’t he? Or was he still in the cave....? The sky darkened as the snowy land rumbled, the sudden quake nearly sending him off his feet as he watched thick metal spires suddenly launch from the earth. The tall spires blinked with artificial lights as spider like robots clawed at the towers, short bursts of ozone flooding the areas around them as they welded and repaired metals.

Looking around at the shifting landscaped, Kylan coughed, a hand moving to cover his mouth as a thick black ooze coated his hand. Looking at the fluid, a thick pulse of pain pushed through his head as he swayed in place. Reaching a hand out into the air, the world pulsed once more as Kylan fell to his knees, his body writhing as it gave out from under him. Looking at the rough ground, waves of terror pushed through his body as the ground bubbled, his form steadily sunk into the bubbling fluid. As the earthy ground bubbled around him, Kylan’s eyes quivered in terror as he watched the ground turn from white to brown and then into a red so deep it was almost black. Gasping for air as his head sunk under the fluid, Kylan could only scream as he was engulfed by the world around him, his body and mind drowning under the irrational sensations and sights as bursts of phantom pain rushed through his body.