2: The God of Vengeance

Arcangelo Molinelli

Arcangelo feels the hot breath and boldly turns to look over his shoulder. It wasn't a lack of fear but a pillar of self confidence that drove him to act so boldly. If nothing was there he would press on towards the tree.

Brother Michael Fisher

Michael nods in agreement with Alona and when the group sets off towards the light in the distance he takes the lead letting his flashlight guide their path as they walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for thou art with me. Michael continued the Lord's Prayer in his mind as he led through the group into what could best be described as a barren wasteland. He kept glancing back to make sure they hadn't lost anyone, he got the strong impression they were in over their heads.

"No, I left my sw- gun at home. I don't usually carry a weapon when I'm working as a first responder though I do have one of those bulletproof vests on I don't think we have to worry about bullets right now. Oh, and my Gerber has a small pocket knife. Alona, I don't think this is heaven or hell, so we haven't died." He spoke of heaven and hell so matter of factly, then being one of the local town's ministers he likely knew a lot about those two particular topics. "Let's go to the tree, then look around. Maybe we'll see a new landmark we can head towards."

Alona stayed close behind Michael, at least this guy believed in such things. "If I thought we where in heaven or hell, I wouldn't be as worried. It's the fact that I don't know where we are that bothers me. This is not Wakȟáŋ Tȟáŋka, Even if it is a mystery I fear that any spirits hear are not going to be friendly"

Alona had more then once gotten herself into trouble simply buy talking to people in this way, not hiding her apprehensions about the unseen world. But why did she care, the worst that ever happened was people thought she was crazy or some kind of nut job. "So then Wakȟáŋ, what do you think this place is?" The question was clearly directed at Michael, like she had just renamed him because she didn't know what to call him, or she might have been calling him something, hell she might have just insulted him.

The brief lurch causes Oleg to wobble a bit. After righting himself, he spots someone looking over their shoulder. He calls to them: "Hey, you! You ok?"

Arcangelo Molinelli

Arcangelo must surely be hearing things but as he looks around he notices someone trying to get his attention. So much for the theory he was the only one capable of surviving this incident. Still he must try to be polite to strangers. "I'm fine, not any problems here. How are you? You seem a little unsure on your feet. Perhaps you should go lie down somewhere? Maybe at a hospital?" Arcangelo looks back to the large menacing tree, it called to him on some primordial level. He simply -must- get closer to it.

Brother Michael Fisher

Michael looks to Alona and smiles politely, "Regardless of personal beliefs, I still hold to the opinion we are not dead." He put it as tactfully as he could considering her words made him think she spoke of a personal religion vastly different from his own. "What is a wakhanj?" He likely poorly spoke the name addressed at him but he did try to speak it properly.

She paused answering him in a slightly more awar tone, like she was paying more attention now then before. "We are Wakȟáŋ you and I, holy men and women. We search the great mystery where others only see random chance." She gave a few seconds before answer again trying to be less cryptic this time. "You would say that Wakȟáŋ means medicine man or women, but its a pore translation, It was meant as a compliment."

Brother Michael Fisher

Michael nods to Alona as he begins to understand the meaning behind the words she had used. "Yes, I am a Preacher and I appreciate the compliment, thank you." He gives her a genuine smile of appreciation and looks to the others then back to Alona, "So, where does your faith have you believe we are?"

She gave a odd shrug. "Don't know, There are not names for many places in my beliefs. But it's clear to me that we are not on a natural part of our world, maybe our spirits have been sent to the spirit plain." She was sure that the spirits where angry in this place, how could they not be, this place was lifeless and ravaged with the exception of this tree.

Martin Gomez

is the last to step into the light.

No screaming, no denying this is real - pretty good for a group civilians. No training in tactics, but that...

All thoughts about tactics are forgotten once he has reached what's beyond the light. No training could have prepared him for this. He wasn't sure before, but now he knows that they are ... somewhere else. He has heard rumors and theories about Other Places, but he has never met anyone who went there, much less gone himself. Until now.

"I don't feel dead either, but it would make sense - I remember being swallowed by the earth, and that usually leads to dying. If this is not the afterlife, how did we get here? And why?"

Alona shot Gomez a look.

"I didn't say we where dead, only that our spirits might have been sent some place." She stated it like it should have been a no brainier that the body and the spirit being separated didn't mean death. "Or we could physically be in a place that is outside the realm of our understanding."

Matt listened to their conversation while trying to watch for clues as to where they were and what happened. Great. It figures that I'm with a pair of preachers. What else could go wrong today? he thought. To the others he said "I don't think my 'spirit,' or whatever you want to call it, would ache as much from the fall, but I think you're right that we're not where we should be. We should be careful about what might be here."