That wasn't supposed to happen

[whatamithinking]

The parameters are recalibrated, the dial is spun, and a new universe is selected.
It won't be home--they haven't collected anywhere near enough coordinate data to think they can find home yet--but it will be another step closer.
And who knows, it might be interesting.
Edie steps through the portal first.

Comments

[iamnotpolaris]

Emily steps through just a moment after--
But Edie isn't there when she does.

[pythbox]

People who are there include: a man in a T-shirt and jeans, standing with oddly stiff posture, holding a canvas bag in one hand.

He extends the canvas bag toward Emily.

"If you want to survive, you will need to create weapons and shelter. Start by chopping down trees and gathering wood," he says, smiling blankly and gazing off into the distance.

[iamnotpolaris]

"What the fuck," she says out loud.
...Thankfully while Edie isn't right there she's still in the back of Emily's head.
'(confusion/mild distress/replay of the last several seconds)' she sends.

[whatamithinking]

'There's one of those--things where I am too' Edie returns. 'I don't know what it is, but it sure as hell doesn't seem to be a person.'

[iamnotpolaris]

'Mine's talking...'
"Who are you?"

[whatamithinking]

'So is mine, but there's no mind behind it--nor anything that would seem to be blocking my telepathy, and it's not acting like a person so much as a poorly programmed robot.'

[pythbox]

"My name is Trent," says Emily's nonperson. "I am here to give you advice on what to do next. It is recommended that you talk with me anytime you get stuck."

[iamnotpolaris]

"Okay, but are you actually a person."

[pythbox]

"They say there is a person who will tell you how to survive in this land... oh wait. That's me," says Trent. His tone of voice hasn't varied since he began speaking - always helpful, upbeat, and slightly blank.

[iamnotpolaris]

"Flesh robot it is then," she says, mirroring the words to her sister as she says them aloud. 'It says it's supposed to tell me how to survive. That is...slightly creepy.'

[whatamithinking]

'Well, it's a wilderness. Most people would probably eat the pretty mushrooms and die.'

[iamnotpolaris]

'True enough. I wonder what caused the (glitch/separation/separate landings).'

[whatamithinking]

'Beats me, but it probably has something to do with these creepy things. We both landed right next to one of them. I'm going to try dooring over to you, if there's a good reason for us to stay separate someone should have put up a sign.' She selects Emily's armband with her own and creates a microportal.

[iamnotpolaris]

Which Emily expands with no trouble.

[pythbox]

"You can use your pickaxe to dig through dirt, and your axe to chop down trees," Trent says helpfully.

At the same time, Edie's nonperson is saying, "Greetings, Edie. Is there something I can help you with?"

Both of them are still patiently holding out their canvas bags toward their respective guests.

[whatamithinking]

'What the fuck it knows my name.' She hurriedly steps through the portal so Emily can close it.

[iamnotpolaris]

'...Did someone bring us here on purpose,' Emily wonders darkly. She closes the portal.

[pythbox]

"If you want to survive, you will need to create weapons and shelter. Start by chopping down trees and gathering wood," Trent reminds them.

Apart from Trent, the immediate environment contains a lot of bright green grass, a scattering of strangely generic trees with strangely straight vertical trunks, small songbirds flitting between the trees, and a cute white bunny.

Now it also contains a round green gelatinous blob about two feet in diameter, traversing the scenery in mighty hops that take it easily six feet into the air. It pauses between hops, wiggles in place for a couple of seconds, and then hops forward again. Hop, wiggle, repeat.

[iamnotpolaris]

Well okay then.
That's a lot less disturbing than the flesh statues that probably know their names. There's no reason, at the moment, to pay it any particular attention.

[pythbox]

The green thing lands on the bunny.

The bunny violently explodes, showering its immediate vicinity with blood and bunny parts.

The green thing hops unconcernedly on. It hits a tree and bounces off and is now hopping unconcernedly in a new direction.

[iamnotpolaris]

'...Let's not let one of those things touch us.'

[whatamithinking]

'This is going to be one of those universes, isn't it.'

[pythbox]

The green thing bounces off Trent's head. Trent does not explode; he does, however, put away his canvas bag (somehow?) and get out a bow and arrow (from somewhere?) and start firing arrows at the green thing as it hops away. The arrows just sort of appear as needed.

"Once you have a wooden sword, you might try to gather some gel from the slimes. Combine wood and gel to make a torch!" says Trent.

[iamnotpolaris]

"...We've. Wandered into some kind of animate video game."

[whatamithinking]

'I will take your word for it. (mild disdain for video-based media)'