Aberrant: Wild Card - Act I:Scene I - Sunset

[Forge]

A roaring above warned him of worse danger, and Matty didn’t try to look. He took a deep gulp of air and prayed it was a small wave. He was pushed far under water, so far the light went gray behind his eyes.

~~~~~~~~~~~

He came back to his senses on his belly, instinctively pushing himself up a small incline with his elbows and knees. The thick mud stymied his efforts, but the exertion warmed him up a little. The latter was important; the water had been icy and he was shivering already. Once he was clear of the water, he struggled to his feet, the bitter wind making him long to be back in the water, just for some shelter.

He was on the bank of a familiar river in what seemed to be a familiar forest.

[z-Matt McShae]

"Oh, shit," he muttered through chattering teeth, touching his numb body to make sure nothing was broken. Part of him was sure he'd just cracked his head on something; he knew he'd gotten away from this disastrous hike before. In fact, he was sure that he could pick out the path he needed to take.

Turning, he began to pick his way along the river, knowing that he'd done this before, but not at all sure how he'd gotten here.

[Forge]

The ever-present rumble of a tireless river gave what little company it could in this otherwise eerily quiet wood. As Matt trudged through underbrush, over fallen logs and across mountain rubble he remarked to himself that it was all indeed familiar, but far more vivid than a memory, every nuance was there, the sights, the smells, and the pain.

He followed the river as before, and just like the past?....The river snaked its way around boulders and trees, always finding the path of least resistance, which seemed to be the most resistance for any would-be follower. Matt's hands were red and burning with numbness and numerous small cuts from the sharp rocks and he was pretty sure that if he stopped, he body would start shivering uncontrollably from the chill.

Night came quickly in the forest, a decision was going to have to be made and soon.

[z-Matt McShae]

He'd done this before. The thought worried at him, in those few moments when he wasn't concerned with dying. Of course, he wasn't that concerned about dying either, because he'd come around this rock -

And find the pine tree with the branches low to the ground. Matty nodded with undeserved satisfaction as he began to snap off branches and construct a rude shelter. It'd be enough to turn aside the worst of the wind, and with a few more branches, he'd be able to sleep.

And then tomorrow, he thought as he climbed into his little shelter, he'd find the rock, and the stream, and see the perfect sunset, and then the ranger would find him. He'd get to go home-

Matty's eyes snapped open, staring into the darkness as water dripped into his shelter. How did he know all that? The answer was unacceptable - people just didn't repeat experiences. Confused and tired but unable to stop thinking long enough to fall asleep, he considered what all this meant.

And where was his guitar?

He'd left it at home; he wouldn't take it camping. And he wouldn't take it on a ship either. That thought was so random that it jarred him into mental silence. That was odd-

There was a coin, or had been, and a flashdrive. Both were in his pockets. Shivering, Matty plunged his hands into his pockets, trying to confirm or deny this impossibility.

[Forge]

Confirming the impossibility as it were, his hands wrapped around the very objects that shouldn't be there, but were. The coin of mysterious origin and a flashdrive containing even more impossibility of his own making.

As Matt's mind grasped wildly to make sense of what was going on, he heard a branch snap from beyond his shelter, disturbing the quiet calm of the evening. It was close enough that he heard it over the river, but still far enough that if he hadn't been reflexively holding his breath in shock, he very well could have missed it.

[z-Matt McShae]

Matty froze, his breathing becoming shallow as he strained to hear more. This hadn't happened and he wondered if it were his fault for breaking the scenario first. It didn't matter; he wasn't alone, and while he hoped it was a deer, the coin and thumb drive suggested that he should be wary.

He dug his hands out of his pockets and felt around carefully, looking for a weapon. All he found was a branch; it wasn't big enough and didn't come with any nice features like some bullets. He still pulled it close and waited with bated breath.

[Forge]

Whatever stealth the creature was using, it seemed to give up on as it approached the impromptu shelter. More than likely it had sensed that it had been detected. The footfalls were easily determined to be that of a human-like creature, even and rhythmic, not in a hurry, but not lagging either.

Water that had managed to navigate its way through the tree dripped down Matt's face, but he was so focused, he barely noticed. He hadn't even noticed that the rain had started in the first place. What he did notice however was that the broken twigs and shattered leaves letting him know of the approaching footfalls had turned to splashing reminiscent of walking through shallow water.

As the splashes seemed just outside his cover, they stopped. A voice that had been smoking for far too long, called out, "Marco..."

[z-Matt McShae]

Matty bit back a hysterical laugh as he almost replied, "Polo." Instead, he took a better grip on his branch, licking his lips nervously. He'd gotten into a fair amount of fights as a kid, but this felt different. Or maybe he was just too keyed up to not take it completely seriously.

The silence dragged on, only interrupted by soft thump of the raindrops, as loud as hammers in his ears. Had he been imagining things? Finally, he cleared his throat and said, "I'm not Marco."

[Forge]

The gravelly response replied after a moment's consideration, "Marco...Matt..." You could hear the rustle of clothing that belied a shrug, "Both begin with 'M'. Worked, didn't it? Found out where you were."

[z-Matt McShae]

Well, that hadn't worked. He'd hoped to give his name and have the man go away. Feeling more anxious than before, wondering how the hell he knew his name, Matt replied, "So who are you, and what do you want?"

His hand ached from the deathgrip he had on his branch, waiting for the moment when he might have to use it.

[Forge]

"If you like, you can call me Mulligan. 'M's' of a feather..." The scratchy voice cleared his throat as he held back a laugh. "And I want you to save the world."

[z-Matt McShae]

Matt let out a bark of laughter before he could stop himself. "What are you talking about?" he asked. The man was crazy, possibly deranged, but Matty still clambered out of his shelter, tried of talking through pine needles and trying to be heard. He straightened up before him, trying to see in the dark night. "Save the world? You're not making any sense."

Back out in the wind, it was bitterly cold. Matty cursed himself for leaving his warm shelter, but he didn't want to face this nut on his back.

[Forge]

The man that stood there was odd to say the least. He was wearing what appeared to be a fur coat, though strangely, the water was not matting it down. He had a casual look about him and his voice in no way matched the demeanor he was displaying. Mulligan had a branch of salal in his hand and was slowly pulling the leaves off one by one, letting them drop to the ground where they immediately disintegrated into nothing, only to be shortly followed by a sprout of a new plant.

"Do I need to talk slower? Pretty sure I spoke English?...Would you prefer something else? I wasn't aware you spoke any other languages."

[z-Matt McShae]

"Je- Look, buddy... Mulligan, I understood your words," Matty said, holding onto his temper, barely. "Together, they make no sense. I'm not-"

He stopped, tilted his head, and settled onto his heels. "Alright," he said in a calmer voice, though he didn't feel calm. "You say I'm going to save the world. Let's talk about that. In what way do you want me to save it?"

This is how you dealt with the crazy. You talked to them until you could find the holes in their logic. Sometimes, you could exploit those to the point that their fantasies collapsed. Matty was sure he didn't have enough time for that. But he did want to know what this man was going on about.

[Forge]

"I didn't say you are going to save the world...I said I wanted you to save it. I have doubts that will actually do it." Mulligan replied, his voice grating on Matt's ears.

"I don't exactly understand what you mean by 'in what way'...the world needs saved, and I want you to try. Assuming you agree of course. You do have a choice...there's always a choice..." he mumbled the last.

Mulligan gestured and a rock he had been toeing out of the ground with his boot grew up into a rather plain looking boulder with a depression that said 'I am chair' without actually saying it. He sat down, and started picking at some moss on the 'arm' of the chair, his black dress shoes now poking out from the bottom of the fur coat.

[z-Matt McShae]

"I'd like to know what I'm agreeing to," Matty said, but his voice trailed off as the rock changed size. For a second, he was dumbfounded, but the answer came quickly enough. This was a dream. It had to be and it explained the deja vu.

Matty relaxed and nodded. "Alright," he said easily. "I've always wanted to save the world. I'm in." He eyed Mulligan's chair. "Can you teach me that rock-trick?"

[Forge]

Mulligan looked up, his face lit for a moment with surprise at the sudden change to acquiescence. "Well that went easier than I thought...and no, I can't...you wouldn't want the baggage it came with...believe me."

He sat for a second, still idly picking at the moss, "So do you have anymore questions? This weather is terrible on my hair."

He flicked a bit of moss off the arm of his impromptu seating and it hit the trunk of a young Douglas Fir, where it seemed to stick for a moment and then disintegrate into nothing, a small powdery shower descending towards the ground. A heartbeat later, moss started to crawl and grasp its way up the trunk, growing at a rapid pace until it reached the spot where the moss had impacted the trunk. It then slowed and stopped, returning to 'normal' mossy habits.

[z-Matt McShae]

"Well, do you have a plan for saving the world?" Matty said, a casual smile on his face. He was even getting a little excited. "Do I need to save the cheerleader?" He'd never watched the show that line had come from, but his roommate had love to mock the line. It only seemed right to use it now. "Do I get to take the One Ring to Mount Doom? Or is there a princess, locked away in a castle, and all I get to save her is a magical sword?"

Matty was really getting into this dream. It was more fun than most of his dreams, especially the ones involving Cyn.

[Forge]

"Nothing ever goes as planned...you should know that..." He replied, looking over his glasses. "As to your more mundane questions...well anything is possible...I suppose...many of those more likely than others...however...there is much more than a magical sword as a reward...You get to live..."

[z-Matt McShae]

"Oh, I get to live?" Matty asked, laughing a little. "Of course, that's clear. But if I'm the hero, I should face danger and risk. Still, you'd think I'd get some kind of reward.

"Speaking of," he added quickly, "if you can't teach me that, maybe you have other tricks. Can you move us somewhere drier? Somewhere prettier, or just not in the middle of nowhere?"

[Wa'ne]

Originally Posted By: Matt McShae

"Oh, I get to live?" Matty asked, laughing a little. "Of course, that's clear. But if I'm the hero, I should face danger and risk. Still, you'd think I'd get some kind of reward.

"Speaking of," he added quickly, "if you can't teach me that, maybe you have other tricks. Can you move us somewhere drier? Somewhere prettier, or just not in the middle of nowhere?"

"If material gain is all that you are concerned about learning, I think we may be done." Mulligan grumbled, the vibrations reverberating through the moisture soaked air.

In the space between seconds, Mulligan seemed to move, if ever so slightly and suddenly Matt was once again under the shelter of the tree, his hand in his pocket, clutching the flashdrive and strange coin. Rain was just starting to fall through the canopy and reach its way into his shelter.

[z-Matt McShae]

Matty sighed. His own dream should know that he wasn't that hung up on stuff. "Look, Mulligan," he called out. "How about a mulligan? If you need a hero, you know I'll do it." The thought of his own dream locking him out of an adventure was a little annoying. Why should he have to convince his own dream of his willingness to help others?

It seemed that his dream wanted to him be serious about this. Nodding, Matty crept back out of his shelter, saying, "I like helping people, and a world is a lot of people. Anyway, I already said I'd do it."

[Forge]

The only response to Matt pleading his case was the sound of tree frogs croaking out calls in hopes to find a mate and the 'pit-pat' as rain drops hit fern fronds, salal leaves and the the decayed organic humus layer of the forest floor. If he was listening or anywhere nearby, there was no sign of it.

[z-Matt McShae]

Grumbling to himself about the lack of self-satisfaction in his dreams, Matty crawled back into his shelter. Lying down, he found his stick and grabbed it again, holding it close as he tried to get back to sleep. To pass the time, he began to interpret this dream and decide what his subconscious was trying to tell him.

Most of it was easy: he didn't take something seriously enough, and his chance to help people slipped away. Sighing and shivering, he burrowed deeper into his coat and tried to rest. He still had a long walk ahead of him before his rescue tomorrow.

[Forge]

Matt was awakened in the early hours of dawn before even most animals were about. The only sign that it wasn't evening and that in fact he had slept was that his clothes were decidely drier, if not damp from dew.

Wondering what had woke him at such an early hour, he sat up, his body aching with the consequnces of his recent activities, and moreso, his sleeping arrangement. He was greeted by the startled flight of a robin that had been foraging in the bed of fallen needles that surrounded Matt under his shelter.

Just as the panicked bird finally managed to escape the thick branches, Matt heard something out of place...something he didn't remember. He stopped moving...his ears straining for another clue, and there it was again.

The unmistakeable sound of a woman screaming, and it was coming from the direction of the river.

[z-Matt McShae]

Matty was out of the shelter and running before he's thought about it. For all of his 'think first, act second,' mentality, a woman's scream set off every male instinct he had. It was second only to a child's scream.

Pain and aches were forgotten in the rush to the river. Matty leapt a low log as he came into view of the cause of the screaming.

[Forge]

Tall alders and birches enclosed themselves around the stream shading the river against what little light was present on the cloudy morning. The river was fairly wide at this point, about 120 feet, which meant the rapids were calmer, but it also put him that much farther from his target.

A young woman was attempting to maintain herself above the surface in the middle of the river and not doing such a fair job. Her screaming had ceased as her last foray underwater had given her an unhealthy dose of liquid nourishment. She appeared to be clinging to something, but it was too hard to tell in dim light of dawn. The only details he could make out was her fair complexion and blond hair that was long enough to cover her face.

Matt was standing on a small sandy embankment that dropped sheerly seven feet to the surface. The swirling green-black waters were too opaque to tell the depth in this light, however there were no obvious signs of rocks. A quick glance to either direction showed dense huckleberry that would probably impede him enough that she would be too far downstream to catch if he tried to break through.

As his mental synapses fired, his brain reacting faster than his active thought, gauging danger levels, the imperiled woman went under again.

[z-Matt McShae]

"Damn it!" Matty cursed, knowing that he was taking a risk but unable to stop himself from trying to help her. He got a short run going and leapt out over the water, trying to land as far away from the shore as he could. That would hopefully put him away from rocks and closer to her.

His last, fervent hope before he hit the water was that if he died here, he'd just wake up safely in bed.

[Forge]

Death and a warm bed, unfortunately, is not what he got. Frigid waters and near-death was.

He entered the water cleanly and at a shallow enough angle to avoid plunging himself to the bottom. However, the submerged tree with broken branches poking out at every which angle were not so easily avoided.

Matt turned his body in an instinctive effort to avoid them, but still took a long, burning across his front. It was strong enough to pull at his clothing, and nearly enough for a cry, but the icy mountain waters were quickly numbing the pain as well as his appendages.

It didn't seem life-threatening by any means, but it left a mark for sure.

Click to reveal.. (Dice to cast)

Ye need some rollin' o' Fate's eyes, ye do.

For your swimming prowess, a Str+Athletics please sir.

For your general rescuing type skills, a Str+Might will do.

And if you wanna calm her at all, I bet a Command roll would be in order, I shall let you pick the Att, just let me know which you use.

[z-Matt McShae]

Matty quickly got his bearings, stroking strongly to her. She cried out again, this time sounding like a little kitten. She was getting weaker, and Matty redoubled his efforts, pushing through the opaque, freezing water. His breath came in shaking gasps, while his genitals tried to crawl up in his body in hope of sperm-saving warmth.

Reaching her side, he said, "Calm down-" The rest was lost as she grabbed at him, pulling him under the water. Matty shoved away from her and came back up, sputtering. "Stop that!" he ordered, relieved to see that she'd managed to stay up. "Calm down and I'll get you to shore."

She stared at him, though he couldn't see her through her hair in the near darkness. "Give me your hand," he ordered, holding his out while he keep himself above water. Hesitantly, she took it, and he pulled her to him, twisting her around to press against his chest. He tucked his arm under his chin, turned sideways and murmured, "Just relax, you'll be safe soon."

Matty began to swim back to the shore, feeling cold and tired. "Not far," he muttered, then realized she'd gone limp against him. He stole a quick look at her, noting with worry the blueish tinge to her lips. "Gotta get warm," he whispered, not sure if he meant her or himself.

Click to reveal..

Yes, sir!

Matty's Str+Athletics: 2 sux

8,6,9

Ten reroll: 0 sux

4

Matty's Str+Might: 2 sux

6,4,3,10,8

Matty's Charisma+Command: 3 sux

7,10,7

Ten reroll:

3

[Forge]

The swim was going great and he was nearly out of the current and into an eddy pool when she was suddenly pulled down out of his arms and back towards the current. An instinctive grab of her hair kept her from going under, but also managed to put him in poor positioning to resist the force pulling against her.

Like a tugboat, whatever had her, pulled them both back into the rapids within seconds and started jerking and tugging, trying to bring her down. It was all Matt could do to keep her above water as the river began to narrow.

Continued in Scene IV - Forest