I’ve returned with a big tub of lake water and am dropping water purification tablets into it. A weird thought crosses my mind. Could I sue the manufacturer if they don’t work against parasites from another universe? Probably not. And the camping supply shop I bought them from surely never envisaged where their product would be used.
I need to find Lidija. I get that this was shocking, but it is not over. We still have one more in my storage.
L: She was old. That must be the reason.
P: There is no evidence for that. Maybe, maybe not. For all we know the time one can stay in that state is limited, even in my storage space.
L: Very well, let’s talk to Zora and then we’ll do it.
KN: That cannot hurt. I am ready.
P: I am sorry.
KN: No, you are right. We have duties. I can. … Later. … Afterwards.
We make it with difficulty. Unlike Lidija or Zora, Jan stays unconcious.
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Dean stops pacing.
DT: I have come to a decision. We need to do both.
RP: What are you referring to?
DT: We need to report the circumstances of this clusterfuck. I do not want to explain to a Geller silver ranker why we didn’t react to our team mates vanishing. I could justify retreating, but not just doing nothing.
OL: Unfortunately you are right.
DT: But we cannot just flee either.
OL: We absolutely can. Sorry to be the one who just says it like it is, but whoever defeated a group of five adventurers with three Gellers on it will defeat us.
RP: Unfortunately she is right.
Dean gives him a flat look.
DT: People, we are adventurers. We have found a group of strangers. Unknown races and unknown essences. With small children present. Do you want to explain to Adventure Society officials why you left them behind?
RP: Shit
OL: I am afraid I have to point out that the dead do not explain anything to anybody either.
DT: Yes. We have to shift camp, even if we have to physically drag them to a new site. And we need to report to the Adventure Society.
OL: Splitting the group got us into this shit in the first place.
DT: You don’t know that. We three may just be alive now because Misandra broke the second skimmer.
OL: Fine.
Dean stays silent.
Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.
OL: Let me guess who gets to walk back to Greenstone.
The response is an evil grin.
DT: Rupert, we need to record these people for the Magic Society.
RP: I left the recorder and the crystals at our old camp site.
DT: Then go get them. In fact, pack it all up.
DT: Olutha, you go with him.
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Zora is testing her vehicle for its off-road quality, while I use the time to upgrade myself. The second time is if not easy at least less frightening. I intend to convert my car into an ambulance for unconcious people, so if I want a nice place to safely suffer a book hangover, it must be now.
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Dean is alarmed. Sure, he wants these aliens to move, but preferably to a site he picks and eventually to Greenstone. Them getting into vehicles is not what he wants right now. The only one concious and available is the horned woman with the bat wings.
They end up staring at each other in mutual incomprehension. Perhaps he can use another explanation. These people have an unreasonable affinity to writing. He gets his map out of its protective bag.
Lidija is surprised and angry. That fellow is carrying a map and gets the idea of showing it to them only now? Unfortunately she is on watch, but she is also the niece and granddaughter of sailors. Her room back at home has a poster of Captain Jack Sparrow and of course this has nothing to do with Johnny’s looks. This is very important. She tries that aura alarm things they discussed.
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Shit. Lidija is giving me an aural warning. I’ve just learned „The Way of the Hierophant“ and my head is pounding.
L: I need to stand watch. This guy is showing me something terribly important.
I nod. A map. That guy is holding a map! I conjure a table with integrated sun shades and a few paperweights.
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Dean is shocked. Either that guy is sick or he is doing drugs in his vehicle. There is no alcohol to be smelled. What is he doing? At least he is cooperative.
L: Are you OK?
P: I just used a magic item I had in storage. A bit of an aftereffect. It’ll soon pass.
L: OK. I am going to look at his maps. Somebody needs to stand guard.
Dean sees that they are truly excited, so he gets both his maps out. The woman bursts out something that sounds like „yushnfrika“ to him. He points to the point they are.
Lidija sees the circular blue spot on the map that takes up a sizable part of one of the maps. Apparently coding lakes as blue is universal among humans and similar races. The second map depicts the coastline of southwestern Africa. She points to the big blue blob and the lake that should not be there. Her aura sense gets her a mixture of relief and satisfaction.
Dean feels like a frog that has just escaped a snake only because frogs have no tail. Finally. He points out the road between Greenstone and Hornis forking off to Sky Scar Lake on both maps.
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P: So you think that guy wants us to travel along a road towards a city located where Lüderitz should be in Namibia, which contains a river that should not exist?
L: That would seem essentially correct.
P: And he has already picked camp sites.
L: That would also seem essentially correct.
P: I mean, why not?
Z: Because we have no idea who rules that city and what they do to strangers?
I was shot at without provocation. She has a point. Lidija also hesitates.
L: Maybe you should scout ahead. We can fly. We are faster than them. We eventually will need to go to some settlement and here they really don’t like us.
Nobody came up with a better suggestion that evening.
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I take Zora to the side.
P: I still have something that comes out of the transformation zone, which we agreed ought to go to you. I hand her the awakening stone.
Z: Now?
P: If we cannot outnumber them right now, we can at least outgun them.
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Zora conjures something that should really hang off a combat helicopter.
Z: Damn. That really costs a lot of mana.
I trigger [Cornucopia]