Everything was dark. Though, to be fair, Victoria had shut her eyes towards the end of the explosion out of fear. It was that same fear that was stopping her from opening them again, even though the rather chaotic event was over.
‘Oh Deities, please don't tell me I'm dead because of a botched Travel--’
As she was thinking this, she shook her head a little, causing a few strands of long hair to flop onto her face.
‘Wait a sec… long hair?’
Cautiously cracking an eye open, Victoria quickly confirmed that she did, somehow, have long hair. Surprise and suspicion growing, the teen looked down at the rest of her body. As soon as she spotted a certain blue and green symbol that was emblazoned onto the front of her hoodie, the revelation hit her.
‘This is… this is my Arcanian form!’
Emboldened by this discovery, Victoria finally looked up to survey her surroundings - or, rather, lack of surroundings, as there was nothing but the void around her, which was occasionally lit up by a quick streaks of multi-colored light. Now, if she was a normal person, she would've freaked out upon finding herself in such an unusual location. However, Victoria is not a ‘normal person’ (besides, she already did her freak out session the first time she came to this place). In fact, the sight was comforting - it meant that she wasn’t actually dead! However...
‘Um… if I'm here, then doesn't that mean--’
《My dear Outsider of Balance.》
Victoria jumped up at the familiar address that came from behind her and pivoted on her heel, bringing her face to… light orb with--
“M-My Deity!”
When she hastily bowed to the being - ignoring the fact that technically she didn’t have to act so respectful to them - the Deity of Outsiders gave a warm, parent-like chuckle.
《My dear, you don’t have to do that - relax. Now, let’s start off with why you’re here.》
And just like that, the Deity proceeded to speak in a manner expected of a being that has dealt with Outsiders like Victoria for millennia.
《What the hell did you DO?!》
“I-I… what? You don't know?”
Victoria could’ve sworn she then heard the distinct sound of a palm hitting one’s own face.
《Don't know-- Are you serious?! I should be asking you that! Do you have any idea what you just unleashed?! Stars, I KNEW that letting you keep Balance was a terrible idea!》
Victoria let out a small humph at that and crossed her arms.
“Hey, I didn’t ask for this Power either! Heck, I still don’t know what qualifies me for that-- But, that’s besides the point! What do you mean, ‘unleashed’?! What did I do?!”
《Look, this’ll take a while, and I’d rather not repeat myself a second time. Let’s just wait until the other Outsiders you somehow managed to encounter wake up.》
Victoria stiffened up at that and narrowed her eyes at the Deity.
“... What other Outsiders?”
A beat passed.
《Er… those ones? The ones lying right behind you?》
Victoria immediately turned back around and looked at the ground. Sure enough, there were several unconscious forms scattered about. The Deity made a small humming noise.
《I take it you didn’t know?》
“Um, NO?! The seemed pretty shocked to see me laser up a book - and granted, I was kinda startled too - but it was the ‘I’ve Never Seen This Before’ kind of shock! Not the ‘That’s Not Supposed to Happen on Earth’ shock!”
《Perhaps they’re new ones. Though, it is odd that you couldn’t-- hold on.》
“What? What’s wrong?”
《That… That’s odd. These people aren’t… Well, maybe-- Oh, they’re waking up.》
Victoria winced minutely.
“Oh geez… I really hope they won’t be too freaked out.”
《Too late for that, my dear.》
**Note: Everyone is in their Arcanian Form now. Cue the panicking.
Carter's eyes fluttered open, and they let out a soft "Uggghh..."
'Is this death? Sure feels like it, my head's killing me...'
They reached forward to try and haul themselves up before they realized that was futile.
'Oh god, everything hurts WAY more than is probably healthy...'
After a few minutes, when their vision finally cleared from its blurred state, the first thing they saw was their arm, covered in dark gray fur. They were immediately awoken from their stupor, shot up, and yelled, "AAAAAHHH WHY DO I HAVE FUR OH MY GOD WHAT IS HAPPENING!!!!"
Then they doubled over as the sound of their own voice sent shock waves through their body, making their already splitting headache feel like an earthquake in their skull. This freaked them out even more, and they screamed again, apparently not learning their lesson, "I CAN HEAR COLORS AND SEE SOUND!!!"
They fell back down to the ground, and decided that this time they weren't going to yell. Even though it hadn't registered in their head yet, they knew the ball of light was there before they even saw it.
'I can hear the light. I can hear everything.'
They then propped themselves up on their arm and turned around. They saw the light for the first time. It was mesmerizing, but they just couldn't look at it for too long. It seemed that, while the light didn't bother the figure in front of them, it was bright enough to cause some serious disorientation. It didn't hurt, per say, but it was more high-definition than anything they'd seen before, and that's not to mention the girl standing in front of it.
Carter could see every detail. They could see the stitching of her clothes, and not just the seams that are always visible. They could see every detail of her face, even the little differences in the color of her eyes that people normally saw only when up close.
They looked down at their own hands and, sure enough, they were covered in fur. Their ears tilted back in confusion, the sensation causing them to notice their new ears for the first time. They gingerly lifted their hand to touch one ear, and, sure enough, there it was, triangular and covered in soft fur.
Jordan refused to open her eyes. Her body felt numb; that’s probably because she didn’t have one anymore.
I’m dead. I have to be dead.
Wonder what the afterlife looks like...
I don’t want to look yet; not ready.
She let her hearing gather the information she needed, hearing which, for someone who just faced an explosion head-on, was very sharp, almost inhumanly so. She felt her ears swiveling around to catch every little sound. No. That’s not right. She shouldn’t even have ears anymore, and they most certainly shouldn’t be swiveling. This prompted the instinct to bring her arms -that shouldn’t be there- to the sides of her head. Her fingertips brushed round, soft, and furry cheeks.
Her eyes flew open and she let out the scream that had been building up in her chest since the explosion. It was a loud, high-pitched caterwaul that died in her throat as quickly as it had come to life. Jordan felt overwhelmed by what she had opened her eyes to. She stared at the void above her; which occasionally lit up with faint beams of color. She felt the presence of several people around her but chose to ignore them in favor of watching this display. It was strange and absolutely beautiful; it calmed her rapid breathing and she wanted to stare at it forever. However, there were several more important things to do, starting with examining her new body.
She held her hands -no, her paws- up in front of her face. It appeared that she was covered head-to-toe in short, rust-colored fur. Tentatively, she flexed her fingers, then she wiggled her toes, and finally, she tested out her new tail, which, in it's growth, must have torn a hole in her jeans. It swept across a smooth surface that she couldn't really see. She released a short sigh and clung to the one positive emotion she had: relief that she wasn't dead. Of course, it was soon to be drowned by the suffocating confusion and terror that seized her heart and threatened to squeeze another scream from her lungs. She squeezed her eyes shut and rolled over, burying her head in her furry arms.
Peter lays on the ground, groaning in pain after having his arm twisted. He hopes this isn't foreshadowing something later on. The pain resonating through the right side of his body, he tries to stand up (rather successfully), before noting the people unconscious around him.
"... I don't know any of these people. From the looks of it, I think they're fine... for the time being..."
Peter seems to have taken the transformation rather well. Maybe it's because he isn't a Cathrine, and instead something more closely resembling a human. He puts his hand up to where he can see it, noting his already pale complexion has managed to become almost a dusty white. Then, he runs his hand through his hair, over his ears... which are much longer than they were not even a minute prior to his perception.
"Am I... an elf, of some description?"
With a couple of blood red hairs falling into his hand, he looks at the lady speaking to the orb of light, while processing the huge influx of new information. Gears turn, slowly.
"Wait, were you just in a library which just blew up?"
His eyes, deep crimson, like rubies, glance around the... place he just woke up. This is going to take some getting used to.
Ross was having a nervous breakdown, the last thing he remembered he was caught in an explosion, and presumably had been obliterated, or perhaps splattered on the library wall. Now he was in the middle of a void surrounded by a bunch of strangers and strange creatures. He pretended to still be unconscious, but if you listened closely you could here his agitated breathing. His own changes weren't as extreme as the others, so he hadn't even noticed the change in his dental alignment, the loss of his freckles or his slightly healthier frame. This wasn't how things happened, people don't just randomly explode. People don't just wake up in voids surrounded by strangers unless... Was this the afterlife? Had he really died in that explosion just now?
'No... no... don't even think about it Ross.' he thought to himself. 'Your dreaming. You are probably in a coma in some hospitable somewhere.' This thought provided him some relief, before realizing this may be the sort of coma he would never wake up from, trapped in his own mind until someone pulled the plug on the life support. His agitated breathing got louder. He pulled his hoodie over his face as he started nervously screaming, pausing only to hyper ventilate.
The people around her were starting to wake up; Jordan could tell by the sudden cries of terror and attempts at self-therapeutic muttering. She shuddered but managed to gather enough courage to sit up. She opened her eyes again and took her time trying to comprehend the scene before her in all completeness.
Her eyesight was fuzzy. Jordan reached for her face to adjust her glasses, but found that they clung uselessly to the bridge of her broad feline muzzle. She took them off and tucked them into the collar of her over-sized, loose-fitting, flannel. Now her vision was crystal clear. She had, for the first time since Kindergarten, 20/20 vision.
Jordan didn't quite recognize anyone at first; which, considering the way most of them acted, made sense. Everyone had gone through a transformation. Some were lucky enough to remain mostly human, but a few, like her, had morphed into something completely bizarre. She spotted another cat person, who stared into space with wide, shocked eyes. There was a handsome, elvish man trying to convince himself that he was a woman, and Jordan certainly did not miss the second elf who had blood-red hair and ruby eyes, and the girl he spoke to, an incredibly familiar girl with long hair....
The girl who fell!
Jordan gasped. She scrambled backwards, away from the strange person who could shoot lasers from her fingertips. A ball of light floated by the stranger's side. A weapon? Was she going to attack them? Was she already attacking them? That girl was in the center of the explosion, after all. No, that ball of light behaved as an entity of it's own, but that certainly did not mean she was safe from it.
Jordan got to her feet and tried to run, but her knees buckled and she tripped, falling on top of a guy who hid his face behind a hoodie.
Victoria looked over the group of her (apparently) fellow Outsiders, concern shining in her eyes.
‘Oh dear… they’re definitely new ones. One of the elves is having an existential crisis, that greyish Cathrine looks like they’re having a sensory overload, and everyone’s generally just afraid... Maybe I should try to--’
She snapped out of her musings when a high-pitched scream from a reddish-brown Cathrine cut through the air.
《Ah, yes. Such amazing insight. Have any other gems of wisdom?》
Victoria glared at the Deity, visibly annoyed.
“Oh, would you cut her a break?! She just went through an explosion (that I accidently caused), ended up in a weird void place, and she’s an entirely different species! Of course she’d be scared!”
《Hm, true. At least she didn’t start throwing things like you did.》
“I said I was sorry!”
Victoria took a deep breath, attempting to calm herself down, then jumped to attention when she suddenly realized that she was being asked something by the crimson-haired elf.
“O-Oh, you’re talking to… er, yes, that’s right! I’m from the library. Um, hold on a sec--”
Victoria turned towards the others and cupped her hands over her mouth.
“HEY! Can all of you look over here for a bit? I need to tell you guys some important stuff! And offer an explanation or two.”
She gave everyone a second to calm down (or, in the case of the red-haired elf, just look at her) before continuing on.
“Alrighty, so, let me start by telling you all some good news: you're not dead! Sorry for the scare, by the way. Totally didn't plan on supernova-ing the place, it’s not supposed to happen anyways, so--”
《Get to the point, little one.》
“R-Right… so, short version: There’s a magical world called Arcania! For whatever reason, there’s this group of people called Outsiders that can travel between here - er, Earth - and Arcania. And it appears you’re all part of that group! Like me!”
《... You do realize that was an awful explanation, right?》
“Oh, come on. You told me to get to the point!”
Victoria sighed before refocusing on her fellow Outsiders.
“Look, like Sir Snark-A-Lot said, that was pretty vague. So… um, any questions?”
Carter’s head snapped toward Victoria and their ears flattened against their head, and they began to snarl a little.
“Oh, you wanna talk about questions? I’ve got some questions for you!”
They tried to stand, but their knees were still too weak, so they settled for the less intimidating alternative of sitting down. There was a newfound courage growing inside them, and they yelled like they never would’ve before, “How do you expect any of us to believe this?! How do we know you’re not just tricking us?! How can we possibly trust you when you caused an explosion that could’ve killed us and probably did kill god knows who else?!”
After their outburst, their glare sharpened as they stared down Victoria and expected themselves to become self-conscious, but they instead just became disoriented again at their own voice.
Peter appears (well, walks, but silently, he's very good at that) behind Carter, and clamps his hand down firmly on the seated man's shoulder. There's a slight menace toward it, though it mostly appears to be an effort to get the Cathrine to settle.
"Enough, good sir. Needless anger does none of us any good. If we are to receive any sort of valid explanation we must be civil when it comes to our present situation."
Then he stands up tall, and claps his hands. His eyes are on the lady who asked everyone to look at her so she can attempt to explain everything. When she begins to speak, he closes his eyes and listens quietly. He allows the explanation to wash over him, and a chain of questions form in his head. He allows others to ask their questions, before beginning to speak.
"I have several, so please bear with me.
Firstly, what makes an "Outsider" as such? Is there any specific reason why we may be able to cross the gap between Earth and Arcania? Is there some sort of... Gate of Arcania that you may open or something?
Secondly, what did you do, exactly, to cause this little situation? That explosion was certainly a major event and I believe a majority of us who saw it are, if not indebted to, wanting an explanation.
Finally, I believe introductions are in order; it does us no good not to know who we are speaking to."
After asking his stream of questions, he folds his arms and looks around the area again, at the people who were brought with him, seemingly accidentally. Then he closes his eyes and mutters something quietly to himself.
The pain of some one tripping over him brought Ross back to his senses, he'd never felt pain in a dream and had heard about it being a test as to see if you were dreaming. This knowledge in hand made him realized he wasn't in a coma. He stopped screaming and pulled the hoodie back. He looked at the... cat? that had tripped over him. Time to embrace the unknown. "N-need a hand?" he offered. When encountered by the fantastical, you have two choices. Try and deny it and believe that it is a trick of the mind, or when no other option remains, embrace it by the hand and accept your new reality.
Ross listened to the explanation, he had no real choice but to accept it, but it was hard to swallow. This was world expanding. "T-this is hard to swallow... How long has this Ar-Arcania existed? W-why didn't we know about it? H-how much of an impact has this other w-world had on ours? M-most importantly, why does everyone else look different?"
Jordan twisted around so she was on her back then she sat up. Her ears were flat against the top her head and her eyes were huge; so many things were happening around her at once, and she felt terrified and overwhelmed. The ball of light could talk and there's a magic world called Arcania and apparently they could go back and forth between that place and Earth as they pleased and now there was a very pretty young man (that she had apparently tripped over) looming over her and looking very confused and concerned. She looked down at the ground she couldn't see and wrapped her arms around her knees. "Um...sorry," she said to the guy in front of her, "a-and no, I'm alright on the ground, I guess." She didn't think she could stand without falling again. Her cheeks felt hot under her fur and she was content to stay silent while the others asked a boatload of various question. Indeed, she was content until a sudden curiosity regarding the sapient orb with an attitude gripped her.
"Hey, uh," she glanced up at the ball of light,"You...don't...happen to be G-god, do you?" She absentmindedly reached down towards the ground and started sweeping her hands across it. Her fingertips caught on the wonderfully familiar spiral of her sketch book. She grabbed it and hugged it close to her chest. She looked up at Victoria and the orb. Her ears were perked to catch an answer, but her eyes were still huge and her lips were curled back in a frightened grimace, as if she expected harsh repercussions to her question.
Carter opened their mouth as if to protest Peter, but then closed it and looked down.
“I guess you’re right, I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have yelled.”
Their ears flattened against their head in shame, but they looked up again to ask another question, this time far more calmly than before, but still wary, “What makes us so special? How come we can go from Earth to Arcania and not other people?” Their tail twitched, “And why do we all look so different? I mean, some of us don’t look super different, but I can tell you right now that I most certainly was not some cat-human hybrid twenty minutes ago.” They cocked their head a bit and their ears perked forward, waiting for an answer.
Victoria visibly flinched at the torrent of questions that immediately came forth.
“W-Wow… that's… a lot of questions. I mean, I did leave out a lot of stuff… A-Anyways! Just gimme a sec, guys. I need to figure out how to answer everyone correctly…”
The teen paused for a moment, a thoughtful expression on her face. However, she was immediately startled out of her thoughts when the Deity suddenly addressed the red-headed elf in an uncharacteristically serious tone.
《Now, how did you know about the Gates, little elf?》
Victoria took a quick glance at the elf in question and, upon recognizing what just happened, swiftly came to the man's defense.
“U-Um! My Deity, I don't… um, I don't think he actually knows anything! He was just guessing stuff!”
The teen paused as something occurred to her.
“Wait a sec, he was right? What the heck’s a Gate?”
《... That is… ugh. I'll explain later. For now, I'll let this slide. Just go ahead answer everyone’s questions.》
“Well, alrighty, but you better--- Hey, wait a second! Explaining stuff’s your job!”
《Technically, it isn't. I could just drop all of you off at Arcania without letting anybody hear a single explanation, you know. Just saying.》
“Alright, alright, I get it! You're being lazy for today. Totally understandable!”
Victoria sighed before turning back to the group, a friendly yet apologetic smile on her face.
“Anyways, sorry about that whole delay, guys. Let me start from the beginning… Arcania is a world that's connected to Earth, for whatever reason. As a result, everyone’s pretty sure it's been around as long as Earth has. But, as for why no one on Earth knows about it…”
Victoria paused, then looked away sheepishly for a second.
“Truth be told, Outsiders had a hand in that. I don't know the specifics of why, but it's kind of a rule amongst us to ensure that nobody on Earth ever learns that real magic actually exists, nor can they find out about Arcania.”
Here, the teen waited in order for everyone to react accordingly before pressing on.
“Yeah, I know that kinda sounds shady as all heck, but… I’m sure there's a good reason for it! Anyways, I could go on and on about Arcania, but honestly? It's a lot better if you experience it for yourselves~!”
Victoria giggled mischievously for a bit before continuing.
“Okay, so what else is-- oh yeah, Outsiders! So, like I said before, Outsiders have the ability to travel between Earth and Arcania! Why? Well… who knows? But, it does have something to do with the circumstances of your birth! Basically, you're either the child of an Arcanian and an Earth-Borne, both of your parents were Outsiders, or you just simply have tremendous magical potential.”
The teen paused as she recalled something, a small frown flitting across her face.
“Though… the thing is, in recent years, Outsiders have been on the decline. So, it's kinda odd that there's such a large group of you - and before you say anything, seven is a rather large number at this point. Maybe…”
She shook her head.
“Eh, we can guess at this later! Right now, you guys need your answers, right?”
Victoria clapped her hands together.
“So! There's also this really unusual trait that all of us have - whenever we Travel (that is, teleport) to a world that isn't our birthplace, our forms change. Why? Again, I don't know. But, it's great because said form ends up becoming something akin to your ideal self! Plus, most Outsiders go by a different name to go with their new body, so you have the chance to make a whole new identity! As a side note, though, the species change still confuses me. So unless a couple of you are furries, then I don't--”
《What's a furry? I've never heard that term--》
"AHAHAHA NOPE WE ARE NOT HAVING THIS DISCUSSION.”
《... o... kay?》
“Anyways, moving on! If you take a look at your clothes, you'll find our symbol on it! It'll look like this! Neat, right?”
Victoria gestured towards said symbol that was on her hoodie’s front.
“Though, if you change clothes in Arcania, the symbol won't reappear or anything. I don't really get why, but eh. It doesn't really matter, y’know?”
Victoria grinned.
“Hope that clears up almost everything! I'm sure that I might’ve skipped over a couple of things, but when you get to Arcania, you'll probably receive your answers. Now then! Onto the introductions~!”
Victoria cleared her throat before performing an overly dramatic bow.
“My name is Victoria Walker! Though, while I'm in Arcania, I go by Fantasy Walker - and yes, I know that's a really silly name. Don't ask me why, it's a long story, and frankly, it's a bit embarrassing…”
While Victoria blushed slightly at the memory, the Deity floated forwards marginally.
《As for me, I am the Deity of Outsiders. I have no formal name, so simply calling me ‘Deity’ will suffice. Now, this next part, I'm only going to say once.》
The Deity paused for a moment, seemingly giving the red Cathrine a very pointed look.
《I am NOT ‘God’, or ‘Allah’, or whatever the hell you monotheistic fools call it. I am a Deity. As in, one of several immortal beings charged with keeping watch over you mortals. Luckily for you all, I decided to keep tabs specifically on Outsiders. Though, sometimes, I really regret doing that. Seriously, do all of you have to be so--》
“Ahem. You're getting off track.”
《... The point is, I am here to make sure you all don't do something that would screw up anything on either world. Though, apparently, SOMEBODY couldn't help herself, could she?》
Victoria shot a withering look at the Deity.
“Okay, when are you going to tell me what it is that I apparently unleashed?! You keep moaning and groaning about it, and frankly, it's getting pretty annoying!”
《In a moment. For now, though, we should wait until the others finish processing all of that information you just threw at them.》
Victoria blinked in confusion.
“Um… No offense, but why? They aren't--”
《Oh, trust me, they are definitely part of this.》
Carter stared at the ground for a moment before piping up, “well, hello, my name is Carter White, or at least that’s what is on Earth.”
They looked at the Deity for a moment before saying, “I know we just asked a whole bunch of questions, but what do you mean by ‘part of this’? What are we a part of? The explosion?”
Jordan struggled to fully process everything that Victoria...er....no, Fantasy and the Deity of Outsiders was trying to explain to them. She found the symbol, a four-pointed star that reminded her of the cardinal directions, emblazoned on the sleeve of her shirt. She touched it with her fingertips and let a quiet, awed gasp. Then the Deity turned all of his annoyed snark on her. She flinched, but found herself rolling her eyes and struggling to hold back a sharp retort. Good grief, do all of the gods, oh my bad, Deities act like him?
"My name is Jordan Mcfey. At home, anyways." She said. She stood up. Her legs shook, threatening to buckle underneath her again, but she managed this time. Jordan didn't want to fall on anyone again. "A-and um..." Carter had already put her next question into words, so she was at a loss. "Um..."
Peter attempts to process the information fed to him. As he does, he introduces himself.
"I am Peter. Peter Bartholomew Geraldson. It's a pleasure to meet all of you."
After successfully processing the information, Peter runs his hand down the lapel of his coat, running his fingers over a badge in the shape of the symbol of the Outsiders, and asks some more questions. But not before answering the most important one of all.
"Honestly, sir, it was a lucky guess. I said it as the first thing that leaped into my head, and it just so happened to be accurate. Please don't take that too seriously."
Then tapping his foot, he asks the question I'm sure people have been wanting to ask, but have not.
"So, I believe that that explosion was a catalyst for whatever the something we're a part of is, but I would still like an explanation as to what exactly you did, Miss Walker. Actually, how you did that as well would be a good thing to know."
He appears to be something of an endless stream of curiosity.
**At this point, Victoria shall be addressed as Fantasy. Well, as long as she’s in Arcania, anyways.
Also, sorry for the delay! I had a school project, then I got sick over the weekend. Stupid reality + allergies...
Fantasy perked up as a few more questions caught her attention. Especially the one that came from Peter.
“Oh, the explosion? Didn't I explain earlier-- Oh, wait... I forgot... Ah, well, you see, I--”
《I see that all of you finished processing Fantasy’s info dump. Now then, let's get you all over to Arcania, hm?》
Fantasy blinked at the interruption.
“Um… hold on a sec, I think a few people still have some pretty good questions--”
《They had their opportunity earlier. They can ask later.》
The teen’s eyes narrowed at the Deity’s rather suspicious behavior.
“Okay, what's going on? You've been acting extra impatient and dismissive. Normally, I wouldn’t care, cuz you’re this ancient, powerful being that’s dealt with a lot of stupidity for millennia. It happens. However, you never act like this towards people on the first meeting! What is it? Was it because of---”
The teen immediately cut herself off when the Deity’s light suddenly flickered and grew a bit dimmer.
“Uh.. is everything okay--”
Without any warning, a familiar rumbling noise filled the air and the usual void-like surroundings suddenly cracked, before returning to its normal state just as quickly.Startled by this, Fantasy took a quick step towards the Deity, concern and alarm written all over her face.
“M-My Deity?! Are… are you okay?! What’s going on?! What--”
《I'm FINE.》
Fantasy flinched at the Deity’s harsh tone.
“B-But--”
《But nothing. Look, you all need leave this place immediately. I promise I'll explain everything later.》
Before Fantasy could attempt to raise an objection, she felt a certain familiar weightlessness. Right when everything was about to go completely black once more, the teen heard the Deity mutter something.
**It has been brought to my attention that the last post was kinda… abrupt. I'm really sorry about that! If it happens again, let me know and I'll try to modify it then.
On that note, onwards to adventure!
Arcania - Medias
Location: The Ruins
When Fantasy opened her eyes, she hissed as sunlight immediately assaulted them, throwing up a hand the minimize the damage. While the teen waited for her eyes to adjust from the transition of Void to Not-Void, she mulled over what happened a few moments ago.
‘Okay, I don't know what that was all about, but it didn't look too good…’
A sliver of guilt wormed its way into her thoughts as she recalled some of the Deity’s words.
‘He was pretty upset with me before everything reality-breaked... Maybe that whole disaster was my fault…?’
Fantasy shook her head, attempting to rid herself of the rather negative thoughts.
‘Well… it's no use worrying about it now. For now, I should probably--- WAIT IS EVERYONE OKAY.’
The teen sat up as quickly as she could, sagging with obvious relief upon seeing that the others made it with nary a scratch.
‘Looks like they're kinda out of it, though… not that I blame them. The first Travel is always the most nauseating one.’
Leaning back slightly, Fantasy took in her surroundings, and quickly realized two things:
First, they were in Medias - one of the Regions of Arcania - if the beautiful weather and rather stable flow of non-aligned magic around her were any indications. Second, they landed in a place that Fantasy recalled from her many exploration runs in the Region - a place simply called the Ruins (which, honestly, was the most unimaginative name Fantasy ever heard of. Seriously, there are other ruins in the Region that actually have names!)
Reassured by the familiar and relatively safe sight, Fantasy decided to wait for everyone to recover from the Travel by simply looking around from her spot. She took in the sights - there was the old, crumbling platform in the center of the settlement(?), some smaller buildings that were most likely houses once, several wolves that were standing at the forest on the edges--
‘Wait, wolves?!’
Fantasy’s head snapped back to take a better look… though, she sort of regretted doing so upon seeing at least a dozen said wolves - sorry, Lupines - were staring right back, teeth bared in both aggression and hunger. Fantasy nervously looked at her fellow Outsiders and, realizing that nobody got up yet, began to speak, her nervousness making her words a bit louder than necessary.
Mayren sat up abruptly and had to shield her eyes with her hand until they adjusted to the bright light. Taking in her surroundings, she came to two conclusions: one, they were on solid ground, a REAL ground, that she could see and feel and smell the earth of, which brought her a moment of imense relief; and two, they were in serious danger. She could tell by the urgency of Fantasy’s voice that something wasn’t right. Mayren stood up. She stumbled on her new, still unfamiliar digitgrade feet and laid eyes on the Ruins for the first time, along with the pack of ravenous wolves that circled them. They yipped and growled, their eyes bright and hungry, their bared teeth gleaming. She whimpered pathetically.
Mayren grabbed the first thing she saw: her sketchbook, of course. Yes, a terrible weapon, she knew, but maybe the metal binding would give one or two wolves a headache if she smacked them just right. The Cathrine girl slinked closer to Fantasy’s side; Fantasy probably knew what to do.
Peter was just about to express his frustration at his answer being cut off, but then the Deity began chanting. Gripping to the last shreds of consciousness, he tries to point at the deity.
"D-Don't dodge the questions... please..."
But it doesn't hold, and everything cuts to black.
---
It is clear that the sun does not agree with Peter on much. At all. His hands, unprotected from the sunlight, as well as his face and neck, turn red. Fast. Very, very fast. He awakens with a start, when his hands become a bright red. He pulls into shade and shakes his hands, blowing on them. He mutters about them stinging, before the red fades. Then he leans forward and puts his hand to his head.
"Ugh, I hate this lightheaded sensation, makes me feel sick."
Then he looks around at the unconscious people next to him, and then at the wolves surrounding the ruins he found himself awakened in. Then at Fantasy Walker and Ms. McFey. And then back at the wolves. Then he stands up properly. That illness is gone, apparently. He puts his hand out to the wolves, and steps back, trying to stay in the shade.
"Good wolves, good... wolves, please don't maul us to death..."
His hand shakes gently, and there is a slight chinking of glass inside the cuffs of his coat.
Carter jolted up, hearing the wolves before Fantasy’s anxious voice. The wolves’ growling was an assault on their ears, but this time it was less disorienting. Their ears flattened against their head and their fur (hackles?) rose like it would on a normal cat. They slink over to Fantasy as quietly as they can, which would be far easier if their feet weren’t so cat-like. They stand to Fantasy’s free side, and ask, “Fantasy, what are we going to do?” Their voice shook, and was barely more than a whisper.