Hero Meets Unhappy Camper

[Neal]

Camelot was absolutely amazing. The smell of the air alone had Neal's expectations rocketing through the roof. He'd honestly never smelled air so clean of pollutants in his twenty one years of life. Then again, never straying far from Atlanta, Georgia, that shouldn't be a surprise. Neal spent almost ten minutes just breathing in the air. The moment he had walked through the portal into this realm, his bike had been lost - converted back into OM. Sadly, that meant he had to go on foot or conjure something more complex for transportation. Despite his desire to explore, he decided to journey by foot. There was a road at the very least, leading from the Nexus portal to somewhere.

He had never learned to navigate by the sun, and even if he had he doubted this dimension would keep Earth coordination in mind when designing the solar orbit. Instead, he just follows the not-so-yellow brick-less road. One hand was stuffed into the pocket of his long overcoat while the other experiments with Focused Repulsion and Attraction. He'd pull on a bush, then push on it causing it to sway. He found it was easier to focus with hand gestures. Hand up, fingers curled as if clutching and pushing felt comfortable when repelling, while hand down, fingers curled as if to accept something felt more comfortable when attracting. He didn't need to use such tactics, but they held a particular appeal.

It was not long before darkness set in. He had almost hoped there would be no night in this new world - but alas. There was. Neal decided to veer off the road a short ways. He could still see the road through the trees, but seeing him would be slightly more difficult. To further practice his new-found skills, he exerts his Radial Repulsion to clear an area. Loose dirt, branches and other such loose objects are repelled from him, the epicenter of the force. The clearing he made was almost perfectly circular, with only a tree and a bush remaining in place. Campsite, check. Time for the camp. And he already had an idea brewing.

Neal had not been big on camping in practice, but in theory he was excellent at it. And that means that here, he would be equally excellent at it. Especially as a Telekinetic! He may have developed specialty moves, but he figured that as a telekinetic, he could still project his raw force. To test his theory, Neal drove his hand through the air and flicks it to the left. Echoing his motion, a chunk of dirt is dug up and flicked away. It didn't feel near as efficient, but it was one method to dig without a shovel.

Continuing his impractical mining of sorts, he drives his hands into the air, throwing clumps of dirt from a hole in the ground. Eventually, the hole would be a foot deep, three foot wide and seven foot tall, approximately. He looked it over and found it perfect for all intents and purposes.With the hole dug, all he'd need is bedding. His hands reach skyward, palms displayed to the darkening void of space. He exerts his will in the form of Focused Attraction, tugging at the canopy above. He did not need branches, not when he had such an efficient way to pull leaves right from the sky. They flutter like butterflies, almost perfectly displaying the cone-shape that his attraction took as it extended outward from his hands.

As his palms became too burdened by leaves to pull any more, he drops the loot into the hole. Kicking a few that missed the target in, he looked it over once again and felt comfortable with his creation. He hadn't filled the hole, but the bottom layer would be much more comfortable than before. Step two he did the old fashioned way. Walking around the boarder of his campsite, he took up sizable branches and drags them closer to the center. Some he'd toss back, others he'd keep, all working towards his singular goal. Just like on Youtube, he reminded himself now and again.

Returning with what he hoped to be ample amounts of branches, he sits in his hole, his bounty surrounding him. Branch by branch, he began weaving the twigs together, creating a near blanket-like structure. It was stiff, but it wasn't meant for comfort. As a final effort to disguise his campsite, he'd clutter the clearing back up, now that his hole was dug, with Radial Attraction. Just a few seconds were enough to have branches and stones almost falling into his bed. Finally, he lays the stiff wall of woven branches over his hole as he lays down. Bam. Cozy little bed. Oh yea, complete camouflage, bitches!

[Lokarri]

The wide open green plains and deep forests of Camelot hit deep into Lokarri's mind, calling forth the images and memories of Albion and the Guild. It was still too soon though, and the mental wound ached like a physical pain at the remembrance of it. A winding path led away from the Gate and the stone arrangements meant to highlight it.

The last Hero looked out over the scenery before turning back towards the Gate just as the group of scouts he’d met came through. The still seemed wary of him, though for what reason he could not tell. Skittish, as if he’d leap at them and attack any moment. He gave them a gentle smile to hopefully put them at ease, and then seated himself on the grass of the hilltop overlooking the forest. This would be a good place to have that talk.

The group turned to their leader as if in question of this strange Prime, but all he gave them was a shrug. As far as he knew, this was strange behavior for a new Prime. Then again, all Primes were strange in one way or another, so he really should have expected the unexpected. The leader signaled the scouts to fan out and secure the area while he spoke with the Prime.

Lokarri took a deep breath of the fresh air of this verse as the leader of the scouts took a seat beside him on the grass. He turned to the armored man and gave another small bow.
“I apologize for not introducing myself earlier. I was still trying to get my bearings and I may have come across as rude. My name is Lokarri Nexustrasza. You are?”

“I am Captain Jonathon Smith of Minas Tirith.” he responded, unable to keep himself from being at least a little friendly with the smiling Prime. No matter how much he tried to keep his guard up, the simply dressed Prime was too lighthearted and polite to be serious around for long.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you Captain. Now, I understand that Omni brought me to this world and that the place I arrived in was the Nexus, right? And this place we’re in now is Camelot?” the questions were asked with a disarming smile, even though Lokarri already knew the answer to both. They were only put out there to get the conversation started more than anything else. That, and to further convince the terribly confused Captain that the Hero was absentminded. It was a subtle manipulation that he’d learned in the Guild during the social etiquette classes and Lokarri had taken a shine to this particular false quirk over others.

It was actually one of the few things that he’d been surprised to learn about the Guild. As it turns out, people trained to kill and develop superpowers at a young age aren’t terribly well adjusted people socially. This was especially evident when said super powered trained killers had to regularly interact with paying clients. To counter the mildly sociopathic tendencies, all apprentices were required to pass social etiquette classes that taught how to react in social situations with everyone from common villagers all the way up to meeting with nobility. Part of this class also gave instructions for using false personality quirks to manipulate the flow of conversations to get more information subtly, even for infiltration purposes.

While most of the quirks were off putting, the absentminded Hero act was the one that Lokarri enjoyed most. Not only because it worked more often than not, but also because the reactions it caused amused the Hero a great deal.

The Captain coughed into his hand to give himself a moment to regain his bearings and put aside this new Prime’s attitude. Frankly, the thought of an absentminded Prime was almost more terrifying than an actively malicious one.
“Yes on both counts. Those who have been brought to the Omniverse directly by Omni are what we call Primes. They have the ability to utilize Omnilium to summon things and grow in power. Most of us here are what are called Secondaries. Secondaries are people or sentient creatures summoned by Primes rather than Omni and cannot use Omnilium themselves. There are other verses like Camelot that all have an entrance Gate in the Nexus, though each verse is different from the others.”

Lokarri nodded along in mock seriousness before going into a thinking pose with his hand under his chin.
“I remember him saying something about Omnilium. Oh! Do you mean this stuff?” he held out his hand and called up a small amount of the energy. The rainbow of colors emanated almost peacefully from the small orb in his hand and the Hero made a small show of examining it.

“Yes, that is Omnilium.” Jon Smith deadpanned, trying to keep his patience in check while dealing with this man. Every time he thought he’d gotten a handle on it, Lokarri seemed to throw his perceptions off again with naught but a few sentences.

Lokarri pulled the orb back inside of himself before speaking again.
“And what of these other ‘verses’? What do you know of them?”

“I don’t have much information myself. I was only assigned to the scout position a short time ago. However, there is a wealth of information in the larger settlements, such as the capital Minas Tirith or the mage city Dalaran.”

The Hero nodded to himself as if what Jon said had confirmed something he had already determined for himself. Then he started climbing to his feet and brushing off the dirt and grass that clung to his pants.
“Well then, I must be off. Thank you for taking the time to help me.”

The Captain was surprised that the Prime was leaving already and shot to his feet.
“Are you sure? I and my men can give you an escort back to Minas Tirith if you like.”

“No thank you Captain. I don’t believe I’ll be visiting the capital just yet. There is so much to explore first.” With that, Lokarri gave another short bow and began walking down the path leading away from the Gate. Captain Jonathon Smith watched the Prime leave with a small measure of exasperation, before turning back towards the gate and ordering his men through. They still had work to do.

Lokarri considered all of the new information he’d been given. This was a strange world he’d been brought to and it would take a bit of time to get used to it. Until such time, it may benefit him to stop the absentminded act that he enjoyed so much. With so many new things around, the act would take too much thought to keep up. He’d still do it every now and then when he felt he could get away with it. But for now it was time to put it away.

He came out of his contemplations just as the light started to die. Night was falling and it would be a good idea to make camp. Lokarri looked around for a good spot off the trail and noticed a curious set of tracks leading off the path and into the forest. It looked like the footsteps of a person, though obviously one not used to wilderness survival.

Shrugging, Lokarri started to follow the tracks. They led into the forest for a small distance before coming across a clearing that looked as if it had been forcefully cleared away. There seemed to be a mound of branches and leaves in the center that stuck out as being manmade and the tracks led up to the edge of the pile. Lokarri walked over to the pile of branches and leaves and started nudging it with his foot. There was no telling what could be in there. Although there were human footprints leading into it, it could be some sort of shapeshifting creature like the Balverines back in Albion. He readied himself for combat just in case.

[Neal]

Neal's nap was kept short, though in that span there was ample time to dream. For some reason, his mind drifted to a realm similar to Narnia, where all sorts of creatures beyond the normal scope resides. Instead of talking lions and goat-legged pipers, he dreams of gorillas throwing barrels at electric mice and a masked man sprouting a snake-like spear from his hand and yanking a winged turtle out of the sky.

He stood in the middle of it all before a swarm of giant yellow ostrich-like creatures started to scratch at him. Neal tried to shoo them away, but they were insistent. Then the veil between the dreamscape and reality broke and he found himself being scratched by the twig coverage he had made. At first he was about to shout at the intruder to go away, but thankfully sanity entered him before he utters a sound. Instead, he quickly formulates a plan.

In his head, Neal counted to three. On the fourth count, he threw off the twig-barrier and jolted upright as fast as he could manage, even using a Focused Push on the ground to stand himself upright. Before he could catch sight of who had awoken his sleep, he quickly backsteps, hands rising into a boxing stance. "Alright, who're you and what do you want?" He demanded firmly.

Neal may not have looked the most intimidating normally, but with dirt over his face and his hair dishieveled, framing his wiry face, he could pass for grizzly in the dimming light. His long coat may just bolster the "don't mess with this guy" vibe he hoped he was giving off at that moment. But, in truth, he wreaked of noob. His sloppy camp was the first testament to that.

[Lokarri]

Lokarri's blue eyes widen in surprise when the mound of branches and leaves bursts open. He slides back on the loose dirt and draws his Iron Long Sword in one smooth movement, sinking into a one handed overhead fighting stance and preparing a Lightning spell in his left hand. Once instinct was settled and he felt ready for any more surprises, the Hero took a moment to survey the situation.

The man who'd shot out of the loose pile of sticks and leaves was skinny and pale, indicating a lack of physical training or indeed any outdoor activity. Though that might not matter as much anymore here in the Omniverse. He wore simple pants and a shirt of dark color, but attention was drawn away from those by the long black jacket and the strange hat perched on his head. Lokarri noted long hair as well for a potential handhold in close combat. Covering the man sparsely were various twigs and dirt spots, but he discarded those as simply a side effect of his temporary sleeping hole.

"Alright, who're you and what do you want?"

Lokarri shifted slightly out of his combat stance. This was no attacker, merely someone being cautious of a stranger. The blue light of his Lightning spell died down completely and he sheathed his sword before bowing lightly to the disturbed man.
“I apologize for disrupting your camp. I was exploring and found tracks. I merely wished to investigate. My name is Lokarri.”

[Neal]

Neal's eyes flicked to Lokarri's dying spell for a moment, then the sheathed sword. After seeing the man disarm himself, Neal did the same. For him it was more a dropping of his hands. A slight outward force caused his clothing to billow for a moment, propelling loose dirt and twigs from his form. IT dropped quick enough, leaving Neal to remove his hat and comb through his hair as best he could with just his fingers.

"Lokarri, huh? Strange name, kind of cool. Bit of a magicy feel to it." He offered at first, before replacing his hat atop his head. He gave the young man a glance over, eyeing his attire and weaponry for a moment. Asside from the lightning, Neal did not see any physical threats. At least this new person seemed friendly.

"My name is Neal." There was no need for a last name anymore. He was just Neal. Champion. "In case it wasn't obvious, I'm new to this ... realm. Wilderness survival wasn't exactly my forte." And still isn't. "Did Omni take you too, or are you native?" That might have been more pushy than he meant it, but it was important to know if the natives to this realm could use the same magic those Omni took could...

[Lokarri]

“It is a pleasure to meet you Neal. Yes, Omni brought me to this world. If my understanding is correct then that would make us both what the local populous call Primes.”

While he spoke, Lokarri began gathering up some of the looser branches that had not been a part of Neal’s makeshift bedding and cover. The clearing still had plenty of discarded sticks and wood which was hastily piled up in one arm. Normally, he’d be using his absentminded act to gauge this new person’s personality and see if they let slip any information. But by now he’d figured that it wouldn’t do him any good except in specific situations. He’d still do it on occasion if only for his own amusement, but keeping it up all the time would quickly become tiring.

With the wood gathered up, Lokarri set it in a pile off to the side of Neal’s depression bed and began to search for fist sized or larger rocks. There were plenty available thanks to the loose soil and the general earthy geology of this ‘verse’, giving Lokarri a decent pile of the rocks. He arranged them into a ring roughly 2 feet in diameter and then dug out the center so that it was an earthy pit about 2 inches deep.

Now that his makeshift fire pit was completed, the Hero seated himself in front of it and started putting some of the wood and sticks into the pit. A small application of his Lightning spell briefly lit up the darkened clearing before the rich orange and yellow light of the fire took over.

[Neal]

Prime? That was a cool name for us, Neal mused to himself. He watched as Lokarri gathered sticks and stones from around Neal's shotty campsite. Seeing as his attempt at subtle was doomed to fail, he walks over and sits himself at the fire across from his new acquaintance. For the moment, he said nothing, he just watches the fire.

And then, his stomach gargled, demanding sustenance. With no desire to go hunting at this hour, he chose the same option he had in the Nexus... Omnilium. Holding his hands over his lap with his palms directed at each other, he idly begins to think of his favorite food. His mind ventured to the "halfsies" pizza he used to get with his folks; half meat lovers, half veggy - the latter part for himself.

"I'm from a world called Earth, year 2015. Judging from your choice of weaponry, I assume you're either from the past, or a different universe entirely." He offered almost casually, his eyes never rising from his creation.

The pizza was fabricated hot, its perfume wafting through the air. Cheeses, sauces, meats and veggies, the "halfsies" deep dish stuffed crust was that pizza you only get once in a long while, but savored every bite. It was easily the most prominent memory of food Neal possessed, making it the easiest to visualize.

"If you don't want to tell me, it's fine. I just thought since we're both new, we should stick together, at least until we get our shit together, you know?" At this point, Neal took his eyes from the pizza to see if Lokarri looked interested in his offer of temporary alliance, or if he was talking to a brick wall. "I'd be happy to exchange information as well. I have a few things I've found out through experimentation."

[Lokarri]

Lokarri watched with a curious eye as Neal did something with his hands. From what he could tell, whatever it was he was doing required concentration and took time. When some kind of food manifested between his open palms, Lokarri blinked in shock. That was an incredibly useful ability.

“I am from a place called Albion, though the memory is still fresh with pain. I do not wish to talk about it right now.” he responded easily, though his attention remained on the food. Lokarri hadn't eaten since he’d been pulled from his world and though Heroes were trained to go for long periods without food, it wasn't a pleasant thing to do.

“I would not be disagreeable to forming a partnership of sorts to benefit the both of us. Information would help us both, as would our combat skills in dire situations. I would like first to ask you to share how you created that food”
He’d never seen food like that before, though it certainly smelled good. Some kind of bread and cheese with what looked like tomato, meats, and vegetables as well. Had the dish existed in Albion, it would surely have been some kind of delicacy. The look of it was certainly something one might find on the table of a noble.

[Neal]

ALBION!! Wait... no, that's not right. The name had leaped out at him for a moment, but it was so fuzzy. Neal pushed it off as being similar to something he knew after finding himself unable to place it. His hands grew stiff as they remained stationary, joints locked as he focuses on forming the pizza. Most of his attention remained on finishing the creation.

Lokarri's agreement to join resources showed an intelligence above the "I don't need your help" type, which was a useful quality. Intelligence was always useful in survival situations. His request though, brought a smile to Neal's features: "I would like to first ask you to share how you created that food."

"It's simple really. Omni told me when I arrived that through this Omnilium stuff, anything I desire could be mine. In the Nexus, I made a bike, pointing out that it CAN be used to directly make an object. You may not know it, but I bet your sword cost you Omnilium that you just weren't aware of at the time. I used the same method to manifest food. In this case, a pizza me and my folks used to get when I was a kid." It was a long winded explanation, but the thorough touch might help fill in any blanks Lokarri had. "Apparently it works both internally and externally. When I arrived, I was just human, but using it I upgraded. I'm now Psionic; focusing on Telekinesis for now."

His hands finally moved. One slice was seemingly cut from the rest, a large portion from the Meatlover's side. It floats over the flame towards Lokarri where it would levitate in front of him. "This is called Pizza, and it's common on Earth. This one is one of the better variations." As the pizza finally finished, Neal took a slice for himself, the rest drifting over the fire, a good ways up, to stay warm without burning. Of course, he took a veggie slice with white sauce. He loved his veggie pizza.

[Lokarri]

Lokarri carefully took the large slice of the ‘pizza’ from the air, far more fascinated in the food and it’s method of production than the obvious display of powers. Stranger things were all over Albion if one merely looked, even without traveling too far. This method of using Omnilium to craft food would be incredibly useful though, as it would negate a large portion of the unpleasantness of travelling and camping.

He took a careful bite of the strange dish, not sure if it would be hot. It was greasy, but that was something he was used to. The mix of flavors blended together into a slightly spicy, but still quite mild flavor and was more filling than he’d expected of such a thin food.
“This is quite good. If this dish had existed in my homeland, it would no doubt have been worth quite a bit of gold. Thank you for sharing it with me.”

Lokarri took another bite and relaxed slightly. His shoulders released their tension and the warmth of the fire calmed his frayed nerves. The last few days had been a roller coaster of emotions and this simple moment was allowing him a small measure of freedom from those painful thoughts and feelings.

[Neal]

Neal grinned. To think something so common as pizza would have someone so fascinated. "Yea, it's no biggy." He waved off the man's statement. Pizza was everyone's favorite it seemed. "It's a classic back home. Everyone loves pizza in one way or another, because there's an infinite number of ways to customize it." Neal displays his veggy lover's slice in evidence before taking a bite, his cheeks chipmunk'ing with the large portion.

In his head he was still trying to figure out why Albion had sounded so familiar. It still itched at the back of his mind. He knew this person's homeworld. That meant something, it had to. Once or twice, he felt as if he had it, only for it to vanish into a murkiness of muddled memory. "What about your world? Surely you had some favorite local cuisines." Maybe a bit of description would jog his memory.

[Lokarri]

Relaxed and at ease, Lokarri slipped into memory quickly. The sounds of Bowerstone market at noon and the smells of the foods cooking in the tavern. Citizens enjoying themselves and the peace that had settled after Jack was slain.
“My homeland was a simple place filled with simple people. Mead basted venison and roasted vegetables were the best a man could hope for, though most had to settle for the more common red meats. Our settlements were small, barely being villages, and each surrounded by forests filled with any number of great creatures that could kill an untrained man easily.”

The Hero took another bite of the pizza, but his eyes remained locked in a far off stare. A small smile crept up on his face as he remembered and spoke.
“Long ago, there was a great kingdom that spread to every corner of the known world. Ruled by powerful nobles and the Archon who’d unified the scattered tribes of before. The Guild had no information about what happened, but for some reason the Archon vanished and the Old Kingdom fell to ruin. From its remnants, Albion grew. Small settlements at first that never lasted long. But then a bandit by the name of Nostro appeared wielding what seemed to be the powers of the old Archon. He created what came to be known as the Heroes Guild. And with the help of the trained Heroes, the people of Albion began to push back against the dangerous wild of the forest to make permanent homes.”

The smile slipped off his face suddenly as he came back to himself, his eyes returning to full alertness.
“But the time of the Guild is over now. Gone beneath the flames of discontent and jealousy. I am the last Hero trained by the Guild”

[Neal]

All of this still sounded so familiar. Neal couldn't place it, but there was that itch in the back of his mind. Albion... It had a ring to it. Whether he knew it or not, he listened to Lokarri's description, nodding his head as he tried to imagine such a thing. It sounds like paradise... Neal thought. "Your world sounds much better than mine," Neal vocalized.

"In my world, humans have already dominated the wild, and now they build cities that reach the skies. They ride in horseless carriages that taint the environment and hurt each other for their own greed. Not everyone is bad, but a lot of people are. I wanted to make a difference once, but when I realized I wasn't smart enough I just wanted out." That was all he could really say about Modern Earth as overarching view. "The only redeaming factors are its food, videogames, books, television and internet. Even then, there are blemishes that try to ruin it for everyone."

Neal silenced himself from badmouthing Earth anymore with a large bite of his second slice, his cheeks again looking reminiscent of a chipmunk. Internally, he was glad to be here. Aside from his family, there was nothing back on Earth that tied him down. His job? Just a means to pay the bills. His home? Just a storage facility for his entertainment systems, as various as they were. In the Omniverse, he was his own entertainment. "Maybe when we find some place safer to camp, I'll conjure up some other things for you to try out. I think you'll get a kick out of videogames." Don't know why, just an inkling, he thought to himself.

[Lokarri]

“I suppose that no world is truly paradise. No matter where you travel there will always be those who harm others for a variety of reasons. All that one can do is try to better the lives of those around you and protect what you can.”
He spoke from experience on that point. Even if he had not been able to start questing like other Heroes, Lokarri had still been taught by the best and took all of the teachings to heart. The burning of the Guild would stay with him for a long time, but he would overcome and grow stronger from it. He would make his forbears proud by walking the path of a true Hero.

Lokarri lifted the slice of pizza and was about to take another bite, but stopped as his trained senses picked up something. A bit of the forest being shifted, a shadow moving behind one of the trees. And the scent of fur and old blood. Without making any movement to give away his awareness, the Hero set aside the pizza and drifted his hand down to the hilt of his longsword.

“Don’t make any sudden movements. We are surrounded. Wolves of some kind, I think. Perhaps fifteen or twenty.” he warned Neal, eyes darting back and forth to try and track the likely hungry predators. Where before his body had relaxed and released its tension, now Lokarri was like a coiled spring. Ready to launch into combat at a second’s notice.

[Neal]

Lokarri was a smart one. Wise beyond his years, if his apparent age was accurate. Neal wanted to think on his words for a moment longer, but Lokarri's acute senses had alerted him and thus he alerted Neal to possible predators. He took another bite of his pizza before letting it drift into the open air, floating high with the rest so that wolves could not reach it.

Neal slowly rises to his feet, picking up his hat from his knee to place it upon his head. He takes a stance, feet apart, hands out to the sides, fingers splayed and relaxed. "We should fight back to back. I watched a documentary on Animal Planet about wolves... They like to flank their prey." Neal was already moving closer with light, near tiptoe steps to turn his back towards Lokarri. He'd rather the near stranger be where he couldn't see rather than a snarling wolf.

"Are they close? I can't see in the dark." Luckily they were in a clearing, so moonlight lit up some of the nearby area. Beyond their camp though, the canopy blanketed the forest floor in an impenetrable abyss. Having been staring into the fire during half their conversation, his night vision was even further reduced. Should have camped in a tree. Not that he'd be any safer.

[Lokarri]

Neal’s advice was sound, but unneeded. Basic survival skills and knowledge of common predators was covered in some of the beginner classes at the Guild. And like most subjects concerning being a Hero, Lokarri had studied and mastered everything he was taught. From his sitting position, he smoothly transitioned and turned so that he was standing with his back to the fire and his new ally. His hand never leaving the hilt of his sword as he scanned the treeline.

The snapping of twigs and the rustle of leaves grew louder now as the wolves moved in closer. They stopped just before the light of the fire would reveal their hunched forms to Neal or any other untrained human, though Lokarri could make out their appearance. Nine wolves glared back at him from his side of the edge of the clearing, their fur black and bristled from living in the wilderness. A bit of the light reflecting from their eyes made them seem as if they were glowing, casting an almost supernatural quality over these otherwise mundane creatures.

As the dark shapes crept closer, their growls starting to become audible to even untrained ears, Lokarri could make out a larger shadow among the rest. Another wolf, fully twice as large as the rest and hanging just behind the frontline. Its eyes glowing red like two pits of hellfire suspended in the darkness. There was his target. The alpha of the pack. If he could take out the alpha, the rest of the wolves will break coordination. Even if they don’t run, they will be much easier to take down than if the leader remained.

Target marked and enemies noted, Lokarri drew forth his Iron Longsword and held it loosely by his side. He turned his head slightly to speak to his fellow camper without breaking eye contact with the wolves.
“They’re moving in closer. I count 10 on my side, no doubt there’s a comparable number on yours. They’ll try to take your back if you give it to them, so keep it to the fire. They won’t go near it if they can help it. Fight at a distance if you can. Allowing even one wolf at you will invite the rest. And most importantly, don’t try to kill with each strike. Aim for the back legs, that’s what they use for lunges. A lame wolf is just as much out of the fight as a dead one. Take the movement and you rob them of their advantage.”

The advice he gave Neal was sound advice for one he did not know the combat ability of. But it was advice he would not be following himself. A Hero moves forward.

His musing was cut short as the first of the wolves rushed forward, a probing attack to test defenses. It darted in at him, aiming to take a bite out of his leg. With a sweeping motion of Lokarri’s sword arm, all it met was blade. The sword sliced along the right side of the wolf’s open jaw and bit deeply into its neck, severing the carotid artery and spilling hot wolf blood all over the ground in front of the fire. This was all the signal the other wolves needed to charge forward, the death of their pack mate and the hunger driving them into a frenzy.

Lokarri was not idle though. He sprinted toward the approaching wolves, his gaze tracking their movements and planning his attacks. One of the animals leapt upwards at his face and his dropped low, sliding under it with his sword held up to cut along the wolf’s belly. With the muscles and organs in the path severed, the wolf was finished even if it was still alive. Another came up on him just after the first and it was a simple matter to twist his sword forward and thrust, lodging it deep into the wolf’s open maw and into its heart.

Before he could withdraw his sword, two wolves flanked him on either side. One went for his legs, but the other leapt up for his neck to take him out of the fight permanently. Lokarri lifted the foot that the wolf on the ground was going for and smashed it back down on its neck to both injure and hold it their while he turned his focus to the lunging one in the air. This one he blocked with his only available arm, letting the wolf clamp down on his left forearm hard enough to draw blood. The pain made the Hero grit his teeth, but his focus never wavered. With the wolves occupied for a moment, he withdrew his sword from the wolf it was embedded in and then plunged it into the chest of the one hanging from his arm. The sudden fatal wound made the creature release its grip and drop pitifully to the ground with a dull thud.

Now Lokarri turned his attention to the struggling wolf under his boot. He swiftly reversed his hold on his sword and thrust it into the beast’s chest just behind its front legs, twisting it to make sure he’d properly injured the most important organs.

With five of their pack mates dead in only a few seconds, the other four wolves were hesitant to try against this clearly deadly prey they’d found. But the alpha was not slowed nor scared. It growled low to order the others forward, its hunger and thirst for blood driving it. Up until it was struck by a bright blue bolt of electricity that drove pain into its mind more effectively than any blade. Lokarri held the stream of Lightning for only a few seconds, but the damage was clearly done. The other wolves were shaken and already turning to run. When he released the spell, the wolves on his side of the clearing were gone, only the alpha remaining as it tried to collect itself.

The massive wolf climbed to its feet and stood rooted to the spot as it once more considered attacking the creature that had already slain so many of its own. Lokarri glared right back into its eyes and allowed the blue glow of the Lightning spell to brighten his left hand once more. The alpha wolf turned and ran, deciding to cut its losses rather than take another bout of that monstrous pain

Once the wolves were gone, Lokarri heaved a sigh and sheathed his sword before wiping his brow of the accumulated sweat there. The Lightning spell was the first spell taught at the Guild because it allowed the apprentices to get used to channeling the insane Will necessary for other spells. The strain on the mind quickly adds up after the first five seconds. Only the greatest of Heroes could hold the spell for longer than fifteen.

The sharp pain on his left forearm harshly reminded the Hero of the bite wound he’d sustained. It would have to be cleaned with hot water before it healed. There’s no telling what those wolves had been chewing on before trying to take a bite of him. No need to risk disease this far away from a settlement.

Lokarri focused his attention back towards his new ally to see how he had done in the combat, fully expecting the wolves to be either finished or running.

[Neal]

Lokarri's information was absorbed like a sponge. If there were ten on Lokarri's side, it would be safe to assume there were at least as many on his own. Ten wolves, which meant he would need to use his Area-of-Effect abilities, specifically Radial Push. No, it would probably put out the fire. The thought was unsettling. There was nothing that could make this worse quite like having to fight in absolute darkness with no nightvision.

He heard the initiation of battle behind him and could only assume a wolf had dared test their mettle. The outcome was obvious; the beast was met with cold metal that matched the wielder's resolve. The death of an ally seems to frenzy the lot, as Neal was soon confronted by a snarling maw rushing at him. With Radial Push too risky, he holds up his left hand and focuses a cone of force outwards. The Focused Repulsion stops the wolf almost instantly, but it remains in place, struggling to move forward.

Neal, unable to increase the force past its maximum, suddenly found himself in trouble when a second wave had two wolves rushing him. Two wolves, only one hand left. He took aim at the closest and held it back, but the third fanged creature dodged around its struggling packmate and moved in for the kill. As he watched, it felt as if the world slowed down. The wolf leaps through the air, its snarling maw aimed for Neal's face.

It felt as if he reacted before he could even think. His hands released the Focused Repulsion on his two captives and instead insert themselves between himself and the wolf. Right before the impact, Neal heard a dull Thoom! that sent his ears ringing, and felt a shockwave brush across him like a momentary breeze. The wolf that had been flying towards him was now cartwheeling away through the air, not even able to yelp in pain before its body broke through the canopy. The sound and small shockwave seems to have stunned the other wolves for a moment, giving Neal little more than a microsecond to process what had happened.

He felt his store of Omnilium had been drained, focused and honed into a slight twinging sensation in the back of his mind. It was like a thought made action, or an action made thought. The sensation came to him in a wave of realization. "MIND BULLET! He shouted in pure delight, naming the adrenaline inspired move with whimsy. "Set phasers to AWESOME!" Neal proclaimed as his hands drop to his sides, as if he were about to unleash a lead storm Old West style.

Sure enough, the next wolf that moved into the light was blown right back out of it with a quick flick of Neal's right hand. "BANG! HAH! Chuck Norris, eat your heart out!" And then the two that had been previously stunned moved into action. His left rose to fire off another telekinetic burst from the tip of his index finger, and then his right rose and delivered a second Thoom! casting the two wolves back like paper.

Lokarri was almost forgotten, but not entirely. Sparing a second, Neal glances over his shoulder to spot a slew of wolf bodies. Apparently, his new found ally was a bit more modest about his obviously superior skills. Of course, Lokarri had a weapon - Neal was pointing wolves to away. Neal's powers were obviously more fantastic - up until there's a sudden light and Crack of lightning that almost scares the Hero's unwitting partner right out of his skin.

And that was all she wrote. He could hear the scampering of paws fleeing the campsite on all sides. Venturing a look on his partner's side, he sees that the Hero has done well for himself, and actually earned a few kills. If his telekinetic blasts had slain any of the wolves, he would not be able to tell. The first wolf most likely perished, considering the double barrel to the face and the express flight to Timbuktu did not guarantee a safe landing. The other attackers may have been able to limp away from it.

"Are they gone?" He asked almost hesitantly, as if the silence that followed the lightning were the only thing holding unseen predators in the darkness beyond the fire light.

[Lokarri]

Lokarri pushed his hearing as far as it could sense and heard nothing, not even the usual sounds of local insect life that would be present at this time of night. The fight, or perhaps the light and sound from his Lightning spell, seemed to have driven off all of the wildlife and not just the wolves.
“Yes, they are gone. We should be safe for the night.”

The Hero made his way toward the fire and seated himself in front of it, then began to examine his injured left arm. While the teeth had broken the skin, luckily they hadn’t gone too deep or shredded his flesh on the way out. It would be fine after it was cleaned and wrapped. Lokarri began to focus on shaping the Omnilium inside him to form a long strip of white cloth and a pot of water. They took shape in front of him immediately but remained transparent, though he could see the items slowly becoming more solid as he focused. The skill was more complicated than Neal had made it seem.

Without dropping that focus, Lokarri directed his attention to his companion. While Neal was strangely dressed and had an unusual way of speaking, he had done admirably in combat. Either through luck or skill, the coat wearing man had come through in better condition than he himself had.

“You did well in the battle. I confess, I had not expected much of your combat skill when I first met you, but I was proven wrong.”
As he finished speaking, the items he'd been forming became entirely solid and settled on the ground in front of Lokarri. He gathered up the metal pot full of clean water and set it over some of the hot coals near the edge of the fire pit. The strip of white cloth was gathered up as well, but the Hero kept it in his hand while he waited for the water to heat.

“Tell me, did you have any plans for your travels in these lands? My first instinct is to travel the smaller settlements outside of the capital’s sphere of order. Such settlements are usually rife with problems in need of a Hero’s work. After I’ve spent some time familiarizing myself with this new world, then perhaps I’ll travel to the capital for further quests. Perhaps I’ll even branch out into the other ‘verses’ for quests. Without the Guild to collect requests and organize them for Heroes, I fear there will be much to do.” Lokarri chuckled lightly and shook his head. He would not shy away from the extra work of finding quests, but that did not mean he looked forward to it.

The water in the pot began to steam lightly and the Hero took it out of the fire pit with his right hand. He held his left arm out and carefully poured a bit of the hot water over his bite wound, making sure the cleansing liquid got into each puncture and tear. His brow twitched a bit as it one of them stung particularly fiercely, but it was soon finished with a little of the water to spare. With what remained, Lokarri dipped the strip of white cloth until it was completely damp and then began wrapping it tightly around his injured arm. The long cloth wrapped from his wrist all the way to just before his elbow. With his right hand and teeth, Lokarri pulled it tight and tied it off.

It was a quick fix, first aid at best. Without access to the potions of his home, Lokarri couldn't recover from wounds as fast as he would like. Hero’s could naturally heal from almost anything within twelve hours, but what Neal had said about Omnilium had concerned him. He might no longer heal as quickly as before. Only time would tell if that were true. Luckily, here in the Omniverse, Resurrection Phials would be unnecessary. He would be restored to life if he died without having to worry about the nine Phial limit. Still, it would be better to exercise more caution in the future.

[Neal]

The fight had gone better than he thought it should. Honestly, Neal had harbored a twinge of doubt in the back of his mind that believed his first battle would have not finished in his favor. Yet, here he stands. A trained hero was wounded while Neal came away with a slight throbbing headache, hardly an annoyance.

"It's probably from playing videogames. Snap reaction time, you know? Or maybe some of that hoodoo self-training I did actually paid off... buuuut I'm going to be real and say I was lucky." In show he brought up his right index finger and blew, as if it were a smoking barrel and he was some badass cowboy after a showdown.

As his hand drops back to his side, Neal flops down next to the fire. sitting on his coattail absentmindedly. Lokarri had asked about his plans for the future, and it made him think. "That's a big question. I think the first thing I need is to meditate on what's happened. It probably sounds corny, even to you, but it helps me sort a lot of things out, you know? I call it Deep Thought."

He watches as Lokarri cleaned his wound, wincing at the thought of scalding water. Neal had never been one for heat, he burned too easy. "I guess my first move would be to gather intel, you know? Maybe I could catch up with you after I sort some things out." This Lokarri fellow seemed pleasant company, and a strong ally for sure. If nothing else, he proved to be an excellent melee to his ranged.

"Either way, big day tomorrow for both of us. We might as well get some sleep." Neal turns and lifts up to pull his coattail out from under himself. Slipping off his long coat he rolls it up and stretches out, placing the rolled up jacket under his head. He removes his hat and places it on a patch of grass, which he makes sure is not covered in blood. "If you're gone when I wake up, then I wish you luck on your quests. I hope neither of us find out if that Omni really meant it when he talked about that whole 'not dying" bit." Neal did not know why he tossed that last bit in. Lokarri might get the sense it was his idle thoughts that he never meant to voice.