The rain is what wakes you.
It's an insistent tapping at the window, and you try to pull the cheap hospital pillow up over your face to drown out the noise – except there is no pillow and, with a sense of concussed realisation, no hospital.
You're lying in the mud in a place you've never seen before. There are roses growing in he underbrush, and tall oak-like trees stretching above you to form a canopy through which very little light penetrates. Everything here is brown or red, and dazzling white, not a shred of green to be seen. The petals of the roses, the leaves at your feet and on the trees are all as white as bone, and the mud you're covered in is brown and red in equal measure.
From the colour of the scant few patches of sky that show through the pale leaves, you would suspect it to be sunrise.
Your head hurts, and your ears are ringing. Your throat tastes of bile. You stand, coughing, trying without success to brush some of the mud off of your clothes and stamping your feet to bring a sense of life back into them.
And like the dawn, the second wave of realisation comes slowly. It creeps up on you and whispers in your ear, and despite the fact that you're lost, wet, and completely alone...
… you are whole.
, you can't see any of the others nearby - although you do hear the sound of running water quite close by, such as would be made by a river of a decent size.
Gavin slowly came to from his unconsciousness. Gods, what happened? he thought as he slowly tried to bring himself to his feet. His head pounded like someone had hit him over it with a mallet and his body ached in the same way that it did after his first week of basic training. Absentmindedly, he reached for his backpack on the ground and...
What the...
He stopped midway to grabbing it to realize he was reaching with his right arm. The one that had been amputated. He stripped his muddy sleeve back to reveal an arm composed of what appeared to be iron. He stood there a moment, completely mesmerized by it. He kept bending it back and forth, opening and closing the fingers into a fist, and rolling his shoulder. He quickly grasped the hilt of his saber o his hip and drew it out with the arm. He stood in the small clearing dueling an invisible enemy for a moment more. Parry, parry, parry, RIPOSTE! A smile crossed his face when the final blow killed the imaginary enemy in front of him. The arm was awkward but completely responsive. It would take some getting used to, but he was sure that he could eventually get it up to par with his original arm.
Once he sheathed his sword again and pulled his pack and bow onto his back, he decided to look around. The forest around him was unlike any he had ever seen. Roses populated the underbrush and trees towered above him, but not even a hint of green upon any of them. At first he thought it was just snow, but upon further inspection he realized there was no snow.
What did I get myself into...
He looked around, trying to find either a path that led him to this small clearing or a good direction to start heading in. He needed answers and he wasn't going to get them just standing there stabbing made up monsters all day.
Jumping to the side to avoid the large stone that the orc had thrown had seen Roland trip over a small root in the ground as he was landing; thrown off balance, Roland hit the ground hard, the impact only softened by the slight give in the muddy ground. When Roland looked back up, he was staring at the face of the orc, charging and lifting his axe above his head for a final strike. In his peripheral vision, Roland could tell there were no immediate obstacles to his left and once the orc's position was such that he could not change his attack, Roland rolled to the left as quickly as he could, the orc's axe burying itself into the soft ground where Roland's torso had just been. Using the momentum of his roll, Roland jumped to his feet, looking for his weapon, keeping half an eye on the orc who... was...
Not there? Roland, now covered in mud, had just jumped himself awake and was feeling not a little bit foolish. Chuckling to himself, he picked up his bedroll, wiped off as much mud as he could, rolled it up tight, and attached it to his pack.
"Wait. What the Hell??" Roland swore as he looked around, realizing that he was no longer in the hospital garden or in his bed. "WAIT. WHAT THE HELL??" Roland swore again with the realization that he was no longer blind. "F+!$ this. Think. I remember the garden, getting tapped on the shoulder by... someone. And now I'm here. Great. Alright, take stock." Quickly shifting his focus onto something a little more useful, Roland begins sorting through his available gear, muttering to himself. "Serviceable clothing, check. Anything that's not basic? A mithral shirt, and this bandolier is definitely holding more than it should. Sixty alchemist cartridges and all of my weapons-crafting materials. Dagger in my boot is basic. This musket, as fine as anything I've built or repaired. Actually, this thing even has my initials on it. How the f@*# did I get all of my old gear back?" Reaching into his backpack, Roland takes stock of the common items he'd bring along for any of his bounties and the money he has been given. Satisfied, he hefts the backpack onto his shoulders, grabs his hat lying on a rock, out of the mud, and looks around a little bit more closely at his surroundings.
Bora groaned as she woke, sitting up.
What did I drink last night? I swear, if the orderlies have been spiking my drinks with sleeping draughts again...
She yawned and stretched, then stood up carefully, looking around.
Huh. Outside. In the mud. Are those roses?"
She stretched again, then blinked a moment as she felt a familiar weight upon her back. Quickly sliding the pack off, she began to search through it, verifying everything is there.
Yes! It's all here! Even that portable alchemy lab... What was I thinking when I bought that? I mean, it's not like I would ever have reason to use it. And then she frowned. Oh, right, my main lab sorta blew up and left me blind... Well, it's a good thing I bought this, then.
As she began to repack the bag, it finally dawned on her.
The lab blew up and left me blind.
"I can see."
She grinned and finished repacking the bag, repeating "I can see" over and over as she did it. Then she put it back on and grinned more."
"I can see. I can continue my experiments. My research. They can't stop me now. Because I can see. I can see." She then looked up to the heavens and raised her hands high. "I CAN SEE! MWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"
Then, looking around again and grinning madly, something else occurred to her.
"Where the frig am I?"
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, although you each come to your realisations about your altered state and location alone, one thing ties you together incredibly quickly - the fact that you are, apparently, being stalked by a lunatic.
You all hear the cry of "I can SEE! MWAHAHA...", and those of you who conversed with her can make a reasonable assumption that this would be your fellow patient, the blinded alchemist. You can make your way to her if you wish, her laugh being the perfect directional beacon - not only because of the volume of it, but because you have a useful visual reference in the form of a sudden, expanding ring of terrified birds and woodland animals that rushes past you, all fleeing from the mad woman's triumphant exultation.
Find their origin, and you will have found your alchemist.
, the world seems very quiet when you finish laughing. As for where you are, you have very little idea.
Gavin was just about to just choose a direction at random when he heard a familiar voice calling out. Apparently our scientist was chosen as well for this experiment. He grins at this. Even if she was a bit... eccentric, it was good to know that he wasn't completely alone.
He began to move towards the sound of her shouts, allowing the terrified wildlife running in the opposite direction to be his guide. While he moved through the brush, with his sword out just in case they weren't alone in these woods, he studied his surroundings to try and figure out where exactly he was.
Finally, he reached the area that Bora was standing in. He lowered the tip of his sword towards the ground, gave a charming smile and wave with his off hand to her, and called out, "G'day, milady. A quite terrified little birdie told me you've got your sight back as it flew by at break-neck speeds away from this place. Do you know how we got here? I must've hit my head recently because all I recall is the garden..."
Hearing the admittedly semi-psychotic laughter, Roland pulls a cartridge out from his bandolier before pausing and then reinserting it into the now-empty slot. After recalling John's story, Roland clears his weapon and then performs a function check on it, ensuring that it would not fire after a slight jostle and instead the shear pin would only release the hammer when the trigger was pulled; Roland's earlier check would have done nothing to determine either of these factors. Satisfied, Roland inserts one cartridge into the musket's barrel and moves the hammer to half-cock in preparation for whatever lay ahead.
The laughter didn't sound more than a couple hundred feet distant, but with the trees thick around him, he couldn't see the source of the laughter or anything moving behind the trees save for a large flock of birds apparently fleeing from the sound. Roland barely remembered the presence of the slightly mad alchemist from the garden, and wondered why he couldn't place her in any of the conversations that happened shortly after he arrived.
Roland shrugged off the peculiarity as a side effect of this whole strange scenario and decided to proceed at a cautious pace towards the sound of the laughter. He heard Gavin speak up before he saw either of them and decided to remain hidden, wondering how many from the crowd at the hospital were now here, and whether any of them were given any extra tasks. It's not that he distrusted any of them specifically, but without more information being given before they were brought here, and no idea how he was able to see or what he will be called on to do to earn the privilege, Roland has decided to play it very safe.
Bora sighed, then looked to the local vegetation, getting an idea of how she could see more of the area. She wasn't quite ready to try guessing where they are just yet...
I bet if I climbed a tree, I could get a good look around. Better leave the alchemy stuff on the ground... no use repeating a lab accident! The explosions should always be on purpose, not accidental.
But before she gets a chance to even make the effort, she finds herself surprised by Gavin emerging from the brush. She grinned as she saw him and gave a wave.
"I see I am not alone. Makes me wonder who else ended up in this gods-blighted wilderness." She frowned. "So, any idea where we are? Seems we were dumped out here for some reason. I'm grateful for being able to see again, but I could have used a map as well." She paused. "And a note about where on the map I am..." Wait, wouldn't I risk reading it incorrectly? "Better yet, make that a guide who only speaks when you poke his nose, and then tells you exactly where you are. I figure if you poke his nose to get information, he won't constantly go on and on about this tree being struck by lightning ten years ago and that tree being where two lovers met and the third tree being a sacred to the boar god or something like that..."
She then blinked. "How many of us are there out here, anyway?"
Gavin listened to Bora while she ranted about not knowing where she was. He didn't speak until after she finished her rant completely then, "I haven't been able to quite figure out where we are yet, but I agree a guide would be helpful. Though, last time I checked guides of the nose poking variety are hard to come by. I'm not quite sure why the Marshall Wellness Corporation would give us these great gifts and then just dump us in the middle of nowhere. It doesn't make much sense to..." He trailed off when he heard a twig snap under Roland's feet as the bounty hunter moved into position. He sidestepped, placing the direction of the twig snapping on his right and Bora on his left so that he could focus on the woods near where he heard the twig but still keep Bora in his peripherals.
He stood there in silence for a moment listening and scanning the woods.
Listening intently, he heard the sound of someone shouting in the distance. Something about taking her back to the hospital. Gavin recognized the voice, but couldn't put a face to it. Like most of his memories from the garden, this one was a little bit fuzzy. Keeping his eyes on the woods, he whispered to Bora, "We aren't alone here. Not by a long shot. It sounds like one of our fellow patients is in trouble though. I'm going to check it out. It'd be nice if you could accompany me in case I bite off a little more than I can chew. Stay low, and stay quiet."
With that, Gavin leaves Bora, whether she follows him or tries to strike out on her own is up to her. He cautiously begins moving towards the sound of the shouting, trying to move as quietly as possible and using the underbrush as cover.
, you manage to see Naneko before she sees you - she is obviously aggravated, using her newly-gifted arms to swing her large club to and fro in an intimidating fashion as she makes her way towards your position.
In a heart-stopping moment you also catch sight of Roland, the earthen tones of his clothing coupled with their muddiness camouflaging him reasonably well in the shadowed forest, despite the unnatural colouring of the leaves - and nearby you spot Amy, lounging against a tree and looking surprisingly relaxed.
Bora watched Gavin walk off, having been pondering what he said, and then followed, keeping a distance behind him. Sadly, she was a lot less stealthy than he, and her "stealth" was more almost crashing through the brush instead of silent sneaking.
I wonder if stealth is the best option in this case...
And then she saw that lovely display by Naneko as she got close.
"Do you know this girl? Because she seems rather crazy," Bora whispered towards Gavin, feeling a bit unsure of approaching the woman. "Our group could use a bit of crazy. Helps keep things interesting and keeps foes off balance. Not certain if she's the right kind of crazy, though."
And then she frowned.
"And is sneaking up on the unhinged really such a good idea?"
Roland cursed under his breath as the twig snapped, hoping beyond hope that nobody unfriendly was paying close attention to his position. He peeked around his tree just in time to see Gavin look directly at him before jerking back. Well there goes that thought. Knowing that he was already spotted, Roland peeked through the brush concealing him in time to confirm that Gavin and the source of the original disturbance were heading towards the source of the new disturbance. Roland decided to follow them, preferring to remain hidden until they took the edge off of the possible upcoming confrontation. Having a loaded musket doesn't inspire confidence when you're telling people that you don't want any trouble, Roland tells himself, recalling the time he learned that particular lesson.
Gavin pressed his lips together as he reached an area that he could easily see Naneko thrashing about from. I guess she's not in as much trouble as I thought. He thought just as Bora leaned in behind him to whisper to him. So silence has gone out the window he thought with a sigh. Without taking his eyes off of Naneko he whispered back, "I don't remember her name, but I do remember her from the garden."
He looked back at Bora quizzically when she made the comment about the group needing crazy. Really? this from the girl who laughed maniacally when she could see again? he thought, but bit his tongue when he went to vocalize it. Instead, he said, "You're right, if she is mentally ill, scaring her won't do much good."
Gavin stood from his hiding place and called out to Naneko, "It's ok. We're from the hospital, remember? Do you have any idea where we are?" He kept his sword drawn, but pointed downward. He had seen someone watching them earlier and didn't want to be... There he is again! This time, Gavin got a better look at the man tailing them. He was sure it was the bounty hunter of the Long Eye he had talked to in the garden and the only one out of the group he truly remembered because of that conversation.
He started to move towards Naneko, and spotted the girl with the missing jaw leaning up against a tree on his way. He called out to her, "Come on. We won't bite. We need to figure out where we are and five heads are better than one," he thought a moment before continuing, "And Roland you might as well come out too. No sense having us all run from place to place trying to have a conversation."
He stopped a few feet away from Naneko and waited for the others to join them. "Now, does anyone have any idea on where we are? Because I can't remember a damned thing."
Try as you might, you can't remember anything past being gently led by the arm from the rose garden - not your surgeries, not signing any contracts and not your transport here. You do remember that a contract has been signed, and that you were given directions and orders of some kind... you just can't for the life of you remember what they were.
Roland was chuckling at Gavin's remarks while coming out from the trees and brush, ensuring he was visible before uncocking his musket and slinging it over his shoulders. "Can never be too careful, 'specially in unknown territory. But I guess you're right. I haven't seen trees, foliage, or dirt for that matter, of this particular color anywhere that I can recall. Considering that all of the living parts of the plants around here are white, I'd suspect some sort of magic, though that's pure conjecture."
"You said there are five of us? I only remember you two from the hospital," Roland said, gesturing at Gavin and Bora. "Perhaps introductions are in order? My name is Roland deWulf. I, along with my father and brother own and run a bounty contact business called The Long Eye." Roland finishes his introduction with a small bow, sweeping his hat from his head and moving the buttstock of his musket to the ground and the barrel to his left hand, before returning his hat to his head and extending his right hand out to Naneko.
Gavin nodded to Roland as he spoke about their environment. "You're probably right about the magic. Though, in all honesty I don't have much experience with the stuff," he says with a nervous smile.
He again nods when Roland speaks, "You're right, introductions probably will help," He sheathes his sword and tips his hat at the others, Captain Gavin Hawkins of the 1st battalion out of Barrjka.
He looks around himself and says, "While you guys get acquainted, I'm going to see if I can get a better view." He walks up to a nearby tree and begins to climb it, yet another way to test his new arm.
Bora smiled and relaxed, standing straight as Gavin agreed with her. Here's hoping I don't scare the poor girl.
"Hello as well! I'm guessing you're one of the survivors? I hope you don't mind... EEP!" Bora jumped in surprise as Roland stood up and spoke, having not seen him. "Where did you come from?!?"
Bora took a moment, hand over her heart, an then nodded. "I'm Bora Corvanim. And very glad I can see again! Yes, soon, they will rue..." And then she paused, a half-mad grin on her face. Then she straightened up, grin fading. "I'm just your average, perfectly-normal person does the occasional minor experiment..."
She frowned a moment at Gavin's question. "I haven't the slightest clue. Don't even know how we got here. Something about a contract..." She pursed her lips as she thought. "I hope it wasn't to manufacture items, as we're a little out in the wilderness."
Then she looked to Roland. "And, when we get a chance, could you tell me who the Long Eye are? We didn't exactly get much news where I lived..."
She frowned more as the topic of magic came up, before noticing Gavin climbing the tree. "While you're up there, could you get a leaf or two for samples? I could try examining them."
, you manage to climb the tree without incident, but chose poorly in regard to which tree you actually climbed. Before the branches get too thin to hold your weight you are only midway through the canopy, and can see very little - however, you're reasonably sure that you can make out some sort of clearing in the trees about an hours walk away, and some indistinct mountains in the distance that are half-hidden by fog.
Gavin swore at himself under his breath when he reached as high as he could go. He couldn't see much, but it was better than nothing. He decided he should probably tell the others. He grabbed a handful of leaves before climbing back down.
Once back on the ground, Gavin held the small branch of leaves out to Bora and, with a wink, said, "You're bouquet, milday." He turned to the others and said, "I couldn't see much, but there's a clearing about an hour's travel from here. It might be worth checking out."
Bora bowed in thanks to Gavin as she accepted the leaves. "I'm up for it! If all else fails, we can blow it up and flee..."
She then looked to the leaves, trying to identify them, hoping they too would give some idea of where the group is.
As far as you can tell the leaves themselves look entirely natural - narrow stems, slightly darker veins and a general oak-leaf shape mark them as mundane, and they certainly don't taste out of the ordinary - apart from the colouring, you would think they were normal oak-leaves.
Just a little something to think on...
After getting acquainted with Naneko, Roland observed the approach of a young woman, no more than twenty years old, whom Roland noted as not one to speak much, whether that was due to shyness or reservedness he could not tell. Roland held his peace as she took the leaves from Bora and seemed to settle something within herself before turning her attention to the rest of the group.
"You must be the fifth that Captain Hawkins here spoke of. Well met. Would I be correct in assuming that you were occupying that spot of silence in our little garden gathering?"
Bora raised an eyebrow as someone new approached, grabbed the leaves, and examined them.
"Did you find anything out?"
She waited for an answer, or until it was obvious she would get none, before turning to Naneko.
"Just so you know, when you were shouting... I really pity anyone who would have been a threat to you." She grinned. "Nice to have you along!"
Gavin allowed each of them to get their introductions out of the way and the few questions they had for each other for the time being, but he was ready to get moving. He didn't want to stay out here any longer than they absolutely had to, especially since they had now idea where "here" was. He kept scanning the woods while they talked, keeping an eye out for anything that might either help them or do them harm.
Eventually, he said, "Right, so now that we have the introductions out of the way, shall we get moving? I don't know about you guys but I'd rather not be out here by nightfall. We can socialize on the way to the clearing." With that, he waited for the others to ready themselves then set off in the direction of the clearing he saw. He drew his sword to help clear away vegetation and in case they were attacked by something.
"Sounds good to me. Lead the way, swordsman! I'd advise a ten foot spread between each of us so that if there are any traps or other surprises out there, we don't all get taken out at once." Roland lingered for a few seconds after giving the group his suggestion both to see how the rest of the group staggered themselves, if at all, and to take up rear security. He figured that being the only one with a ranged weapon at the ready, he would be in the best position to provide immediate assistance against any unwanted guests. Roland hefted his musket into a comfortable carrying position and set off after the group.
Gavin, you chop at the undergrowth as you lead your companions in the general direction of the clearing. After about half an hour of travel you find your first signs of habitation - a mechanism similar to a bear-trap has served its purpose, and you can see a pale mass of fur caught between the iron jaws.
The feline thing has bled into the mud around the trap - the wound is raw and fresh.
Bora smiled to Naneko.
"Relax! It's not a problem... just a nice way of letting enemies know you're not to be messed with."
Okay, I like this one. She's the right kind of crazy for this job... whatever it is.
Bora then blinked at Roland's suggestion. "Ten feet? Okay.
I wonder if I should mention to them how I ended up blind... or that I'm carrying an alchemy lab right now? Eh, I'm certain it won't be an issue... She sighed as she adjusted the weight on her back. This really is heavy, too, and... Oh, wait!
"Hold on a moment! I have something that'll help me move faster and be less of a burden."
She shrugged her backpack off and began to rummage around in it, finally pulling out her alchemy crafting kit. Then she quickly mixed up an Ant Haul extract and drank it, sighing as she felt the effect take hold and leave her feeling much stronger. Then repacking the backpack, with the alchemy crafting kit put in a much easier position to access, and she stood up.
"Okay, now I'm ready."
She then falls in line to follow Gavin, staying ten feet behind him.
Once she spotted the creature in the trap, she immediately looked at it and frowned, trying to identify what it was from memory.
Roland walked up to the group near enough to tell the he had absolutely no knowledge regarding the feline-looking creature, before moving a short distance away again. "I hate to be the paranoid one here, but unless any of you have an idea of what that thing is, or how to help it without endangering us, then I suggest we move along. It's either hostile or afraid of us and neither, more often than not, bode well for the one to get too close."
Roland kept the rest of his thoughts to himself, though he did keep a wary eye out for anyone or anything attracted to the trapped creature.
Gavin nodded in agreement with Roland. "And whoever laid that trap might not be too happy with their quarry being interfered with. I say we leave it be." Gavin began to skirt around the beast and added, "It may be a good sign, though. Whoever laid that trap may be able to tell us where we are." To himself he thought, That is, of course, if they aren't gnolls or worse.
Bora shook her head to the question of if she had anything.
"Any potions I had prepared were either destroyed in the accident that rendered me blind or kept by the people I was working for. The potions were technically their property, as I was producing the potions in their employ. And unfortunately, the ones I can prepare only affect myself; my next line of research was going to be in removing that limitation so that experimenting with potions would be less expensive."
She hmmed.
"But if someone could free the animal, I could try to disable the trap so others who run across it are also not caught. I had to occasionally disable things back in the lab. The accident that rendered me blind wasn't the first time that something went wrong, but was the first time something went that wrong."
She frowned, her voice coming across a little bitter as she spoke more. "But I do not believe leaving it in that trap alive is the right idea. I think we all know what it's like to be trapped and maimed, left unable to escape our situation."
She then looked at the trap to see what details she could make out as well.
Roland stiffened as he noticed some of the tell-tale signs of something trying to remain hidden, namely leaves and shrubs moving out of sync with the wind. He cocked his musket the rest of the way, shouldered it, and brought it up to the ready while whispering to the group, "Well, make up your minds or you might get your wish for that fight, Naneko. There's something moving around just under fifty feet out. Can't see anything though, it might be a scavenger looking for some easy hunting. Might not be. We don't know where we're at, we don't know what that thing is, I'd assume we won't know whatever it is that's moving." I'll let them decide this one. I'm itching to try out my renewed sight, but I'll not force this crew into anything until I know what they can do.
Ready action to pull the trigger if we get attacked before a decision is made, or before we start moving.
Roland took his prepared shot and then moved just enough to put those who are obviously prepared for melee combat between himself and the creature before loading another alchemical cartridge and sighting in for a second shot.
to keep an eye out for any other creatures following the group's progress.