Chapter 1

Quinn knew that his normal life was over when his vision turned to acid. The once darkened alley that led to his car was now a kaleidoscope; shifting and churning. "Man this can't be good." Quinn thought to himself as he looked around. "I could've sworn that Corey and Ronald were just behind me." He figured. Not another soul was in sight as he looked around at the maddening landscape. The parking lot had become desolate as the world gurgled and writhed. "I'm also positive that I didn't take anything today." Quinn remembered. At home laid an empty medicine bottle, "I had forgotten to pick up my prescription today."

Quinn's heart beat with a furious pace as he kept walking to his car. Just get to the car." Quinn chanted. "Does it usually take me this long to walk down this alley." Quinn recalled as he looked around. Although nothing was how it should be, everything was fine.

Like someone had edited the video stream to his eyes, everything had changed around him. Where the hell am I?" Quinn questioned, awestruck by the beings walking around him. Quinn bumped into one of the beings, a man taller than anyone he had ever seen before. In a garbled language he growled at Quinn. "Sorry, sorry." Quinn pleaded fervently, hopping not to become this guy's next meal. "Come on Quinn there has to be a logical explanation for what's going on." Quinn fished into his pocket for his belongings. "I should probably call Marisa. She'd put my head on a pike if I missed our anniversary."

"Hmmm, did I take a fall or something?" The text on the floated had become indescribable. Letters and numbers had become runes as I stared at the slab of plastic. "Can I not read English anymore?" Quinn cried out in frustration. A few pair of eyes peered at Quinn as he looked around. "I have to figure this out. First, where the hell am I?" Quinn rushed around the darkened streets. A sweet smell hung in the air as Quinn walked past an open door. Tons of them. Tons of people like the man before were sitting around drinking and eating. Stout lizards with small wings sat at their sides as Quinn scratched his head. "Mead and the Hearth." A sign read.

"Wait." Quinn pondered. "Why can I read that sign?" It had become acutely aware to Quinn as he looked around, something was definitely strange. "There's the medical ward, the barracks are over there." Quinn began to point out the random signs that he saw. In some odd twist of irony, Quinn had forgotten his own language and directly substituted it for another. "This can't be a dream right? This feels so vivid." Quinn pinched himself. The pain was very much real as it ebbed through his bicep.

"You should have seen the look on that guys face." Quinn heard as he walked closer to the bar. "Wait. How the hell can I understand them?" Quinn wondered as he walked into the bar. "Maybe I can ask one of these guys for help."

"Someone take these Vardkhim outside before they make a mess." Someone else yelled from inside. One of the large men with tusks picked up one of the roaming beasts in his arms like a child. "Awww come on Mors they ain't causing any trouble. Just a little thirsty really." The man explained as the stout beast gulped down the dark liquor.

The bar was packed tonight as it seemed to be people everywhere, each of them fitted with large armor pieces and weapons. Quinn laughed to himself as walked in, "At least the music isn't bad here." Ten or fifteen people pounded away on their instruments as drunkards gathered around to sing. In the back were all of the waiters who were the same look of exhaustion.

"Alright Quinn. Stay calm, stay calm. Get out of your feelings for once and be normal." The bar was filled to the brim with large men and women of various colors and shades. The liquor flowed as everyone seemed to be having a good time. "Hey excuse me." Quinn said as he tapped one of the guys on the shoulder. A man with skin as dark as obsidian and biceps larger than Quinn's head. The man barely moved as Quinn tried again. "Hey excuse me. I was wondering if you could help me?" Quinn had locked eyes with one of the man's friends, his tusks gleaming in the light of bar. The other guy gestured to Quinn as the man with the obsidian skin turned around.

"Shit." Quinn muttered. "Yeah what do you want?" The man asked. His voice was deep and guttural as his golden eyes pierced Quinn. "Wait a minute." The man said as he sniffed the air around Quinn. "Hey man I just got off of work so I might smell-" Quinn stopped talking as the man arose from his seat.

"Do you smell that?" The man asked to his crew. "Turnberries and mint." A pit formed in Quinn's stomach as all of them arose from their table. Each and every one of them could have simultaneously been power forwards and power lifters with their builds. "We've got an Otherworlder huh. Them and their damned smell of the masked demon."

"What are my options?" Quinn wondered as he looked around. Each one of them were much stronger than Quinn and armed to the teeth as well. Each of them were laden with armor and huge weapons. "My only option is to run and hope that their armor slows them down enough." Quinn thought. "Don't look back. What can I do right now?" Quinn thought back to his now useless phone. "Throwing it at their heads would just pissed them off even more so." Quinn's eyes darted quickly back and forth before reaching into his pocket. In one frantic motion he chucked the phone as it crashed into a glass of liquor. The glass crashed onto the floor as the stout dragons that littered the place scrambled to the spill.

"Dammit Braun I told you not to bring those beasts in here!" One of the big guys yelled as Quinn saw his opportunity. With the speed of an aging dog he took off. "I have no idea where I'm going!" Quinn yelled in his mind as he raced along the lit path. "Okay Quinn. We need somewhere to hide and fast. We've never been the running type. Hiding is more our speed." Quinn observed his surroundings, breathing heavily at the while. The streets were packed to the brim as Quinn pushed in between beings of every size. Music blared at the other side of town as Quinn finally noticed it. "Running into the dark and mysterious forest, great job Quinn." The sarcasm thick as Quinn rushed into the forest. Quinn collapsed behind a nearby bush. "I'm just going to rest here for a while and catch my breath." Quinn said in between breaths.

"I'm guessing by how dark it is no one goes through these woods at night." Light only touched the nearest parts of the path; seemingly to keep the darkness away. Quinn raised his hand to the trees above. "Absolutely nothing. Although they can't see me, unfortunately I can't see myself either." Slowly Quinn rose to his feet, shaking the thin vest that he was wearing off. "Thanks for your contribution." Quinn whispered, ripping the flimsy vest into two. In each he took the tattered cloth as he reached out. "Hopefully this way, if I do touch something I'm not supposed to, then there's a barrier in between."

"Let's take this slow then." Quinn said as he began to make his way through the pitch black forest. Many ideas came to Quinn as he trekked through the darkness; not all of them pleasant. Sounds erupted all around Quinn as his heart beat intensely. In the back of his mind Quinn knew it as much as he tried to dismiss. There was only a few logical explanations as to why no one entered the forest as night. That at night, something lurked in the forest even more frightening than the people back in the bar. And that at any moment, one of them could be following right behind Quinn. Heart pounding and palms sweating, Quinn has quickly realized his situation. "Damned branches." Quinn yelled out as the branches reached down low for him. "What the hell is on me?" Furiously Quinn patted his body down. Something was crawling up his arms. Time and time again Quinn patted down his arms to no avail. "I must be losing my mind in this darkness. I could really use that phone right about now." Before the world had turned into an acid dream, nothing was out of the ordinary. "Did something happen to me prior?" Quinn tried to remember. "What was I doing before I entered the portal? Or for that matter, where was I?" The memories escaped Quinn now as he concentrated in the nightmarish forest. "Is this the forest doing this to me as well?" Quinn questioned as he hurried. "Recall. Recall the oldest memory that you have." Quinn thought as he dug through his memories. Deeper and deeper he went as he explored void in his mind. Nothing. Nothing existed before the acid dream. "Marisa." The only other name that came to Quinn. "Marisa." He said again as the name was comforting in a way.

"Marisa must have been pretty special to me if I remember her name then." The name reverberated through Quinn as he kept on moving. "Finally some light." Moonlight poured through the canopy up ahead as Quinn raced for it. "I'll rest here for a bit." Quinn's chest expanded and compressed rapidly as he caught his breath for a moment. Even though he wasn't out of danger, the light brought some comfort. The forest was alive, much to Quinn's dismay as struggled to catch his breath. "Come on Quinn. Breathe in, breathe out." He chanted to himself. From beyond the light was the darkness as Quinn looked on. And beyond the darkness, was fear. "Come on get up." Quinn told himself as he struggled to rise to his feet. "Come on body, work with me please." He pleaded as the foliage parted. A cold shiver ran up Quinn's back as he couldn't peel his eyes away.

"Get up."

"Get up."

"Get up!" He pleaded, finally rising to his feet. His legs were shaky as he ran off into the darkness. "Don't look back just run!" Quinn sprinted through the darkness now, foregoing any caution that he had before. Branches slammed into his face time and time again as he pressed forward, knowing that something was definitely behind him. Quinn heard trees crashing behind him as he ran, not wanting to look behind him. Slowly, the trees grew closer. Crash. Crash. Crash. "It's getting closer!" The thought pounding in Quinn's head. The chaotic voice of the forest thrashed around Quinn as he ran for his life. Animals of all kind had come to life to look on at the two creatures running through the forest.

"Gah!" Quinn yelled out in pain. "Fuck it bit me in the thigh." Quinn groaned in pain as he felt the wound throbbing. Blood trickled down his leg with a ferocity as Quinn fell to the floor. "Is this really how I'm going to die?" With frantic energy Quinn began to crawl. Crawling with everything to escape. "I've got to get out of here!" Quinn dug into the dirt with his fingers as he crawled forward. Everything in his system screamed out for respite as Quinn dug in. With one more push Quinn lunged forward. Falling. The wind blasted across Quinn's face as he writhed from the pain. "This is it." He figured.

"I'm actually going to die." The words frightened him. The wind screamed as Quinn screamed back. "Gah!" Quinn clenched his teeth as he hit ground much faster than he expected. Over and over, Quinn tumbled down the slope as everything hurt. Quinn gritted his teeth as rolled for what seemed like forever down the slope. With one more roll Quinn landed onto the ground with a resounding groan. "What terrible luck I have. To die in a foreign world alone." Quinn whispered. Death in such a short period of time had become comforting. "At least I won't feel this way anymore." Water filled Quinn's mind as he tried to think. The world around him distorted as though listening to a blown out speaker. "My only regret now is that I wasn't able to see Marisa for myself and remember who she was." Every breath was a fight as Quinn struggled. "Just let go. I can't do anything now." The thought comforted him as blood trickled down his face. The static in his ears grew loud and unruly as he laid there, waiting. What was only a few seconds became an eternity as the blood left en masse.

In Quinn's peripheral vision grew an orange light. And then another smaller blue light as Quinn felt differently. "What's going on? I'm still alive?" Quinn questioned as he laid there still. The blood had stopped flowing as the static went away.

"Seems like you've been delivered from a bad situation."

A voice spoke to Quinn. An older man held a lantern in one hand and a staff in the other. His expression was peculiar and hard to read as Quinn stared back at him. "I've partially healed your wounds for the time being, but if I stop then you will die." Quinn could feel it for himself that the old man was telling the truth. His wounds were healed just enough for him to survive this conversation. "I can see it in your eyes that you realize your situation. So I'll tell you what. Live, and come work for me in my shop." Quinn wretched in pain as man released his healing spell. "Or you can die in this field. Alone. What's your choice." The choice was easy for Quinn as he lurched forward, spitting up blood. "Yes, I'll work in your store. Just please, heal me." The older man leaned down with a large smile as he extended his hand palm up. "Show me your right palm." The old man asked as Quinn extended his hand. In the middle of their hands formed a fiery tree. A tree with routes that extended up the fingertips. "With this, the deal is done. Are you sure?" The old man leaned in, the orange and blue lights illuminating his face. Quinn's heart raced as he stared at the old man, knowing that he was the only salvation that Quinn had. "Yes, I'm sure."

With a handshake the sigil burned with hot as Quinn fought to pull his hand away. With a large grin the old man smiled.

"Well Quinn. Welcome to Yggdrasil."