1 - Hello World

There was a phrase I heard long ago. Back then, it was because I had been crossing into another world of concept.

"Hello World!"

When I made my computer print that statement, I had no idea would say that to a new world, a new reality.

An uncultivated world. One where not even the wheel existed.

It still had beautiful sunrises. That much I couldn't deny. I watched the sky transform from a boulder that rose over a forest in this unknown world. I stood, the wind attacking a tunic and cloak I received on my journey to the unnamed world.

The tranquility was broken with a shout, "If any y'all can hear me, give me a hollar!"

I turned in his direction. Human. Probably confused, but he spoke English.

"Stay where you are! I'm coming to you!" I called back.

Two other voices caught the wind. I assumed they said similar, but couldn't be sure.

I slid down the stone, dropping to the ground and starting a jog in the direction of the man's voice.

Moments later, I came to a clearing. A man in a red plaid button-up and wide-brimmed hat sat on a rock, scanning the forest line.

Hearing my approach he turned to me.

He visibly relaxed. "I guess I ain't just hearing things."

"That makes two of us." I came closer, joining him in the middle of the small clearing.

"Name's Thomas. Thomas McGhullin." he said, extending his hand for a handshake.

"Marcus," I replied, taking his hand.

"Nice to meet ya."

"Same."

"Say, Marcus, ya know where we are? One sec, I was drivin' my pickup, the next, I'm here."

"I might, but now I'm curious where you might guess we are."

Thomas looked around again. "It makes me think o' a forest in Oregon, but it ain't the same. Somethin's off about it."

Leaves rustled to Thomas's left. We both looked over to see another person enter the clearing. She wore a sweater and shorts, a strange combination in my opinion, but apparently a thing. Her blonde hair was pulled back in a pony tail. "I seriously doubt we're on earth. There was a really weird flower back there. Bright pink and pointy."

"She's right." I confirmed as she joined us.

"Thomas McGhullin," he introduced, like he had for me.

"Katie Phillips," she replied, taking his hand briefly before looking around. Her eyes passed over my clothing, which was not earthen by any means.

"Is that a real sword?" Katie asked, her gaze locking on the weapon at my hip.

I hadn't realized I was resting my hand on its hilt until she said something. But my response was interrupted by a scream.

An adult woman, not too far.

"Protect her," I told Thomas, "I'll be right back."

Without waiting for an answer, I dashed towards the scream.

As I got closer, a bestial hiss met my ears. I rounded a tree to find a woman stumble over a root in her panicked haste. She rolled as she fell, protecting her stomach as she landed.

A tree-sized scorpion close behind her slid forward quickly, about to catch its prey. It wasn't quite a scorpion. It rose up on a snake-like tail, revealing that it was really only a scorpion in pincers and face. Scorp-snake, then. Maybe more crab-snake?

I didn't have time to finish identifying it. Whatever it was was preparing to strike its cowering target. I leapt forward, barely able to deflect its pincer with my drawn sword.

The snake thing circled around, its tongue flicking out from its tiny crustacean mouth. Its beady eyes stared me down. I stared back as my mentor in another world had taught.

It lunged claw-first. I upswung, knocking its claw away. Its arm smashed into mine and I lost grip on my sword, sending it spinning into the air.

The clawed snake circled around again. I put up my fists. I wasn't going to go down without a fight.

It lunged again, and as I reared back to punch, a fierce breeze blew past me. I blinked. The pincer that was sure to be my demise was on the ground, limp. My sword was pierced through its eye. A woman with long, untied black hair in a t-shirt held its hilt. The snake crab seemed to curse with that monstrous hissing.

With practiced finesse, the woman stabbed my sword into its other four eyes. The beast screamed again and again with each eye. It pulled away to avoid the flowing steel, but the mysterious woman stabbed it through the floor of its mouth.

The snake-like tail failed mindlessly before the whole thing collapsed, defeated. Its vanquisher flicked my sword, then studied it disapprovingly.

The woman on the ground calmed her sobs. I offered her my hand, and she let me pull her up.

I nodded to the other in thanks. "There are others. Let's go back to them."

The black-haired savior nodded wordlessly. I led the way back to the others, supporting the woman who had fallen. Her brown hair was tangled and had sticks and dirt in it now.

We returned to the clearing, dirty and blood-splattered. The black-haired woman still had my sword, but I wasn't going to take it from the person who could obviously use it better.

"I guess everyone should introduce themselves again?" I asked.

"I like that idea," Katie said, "I'm Katie Phillips."

"Thomas McGhullin."

"Juliana Young." the brown haired woman.

"Marcus."

The swordswoman just bowed in an Asian fashion.

Thomas looked at me, "No last name? Any proper man recognizes the family who raised him."

"My bad," I apologized, "my family name is Smith. In the time between when you all were on earth and when you showed up here, I have walked many worlds. Few of them had surnames among the common folk."

"So ye do know where we are."

"Er- yes. I know how all of this came to be, and it's a bit of a tale. We should set up a camp before story time. Does anyone have any survival skills?"