First impressions

--Gatix--

Emerging from the portal didn't drop me into a conglomeration of teeth and claws, which was a pleasant experience. Not that I would have minded. Squeezing Scythe's trigger is usually the quickest way to establish dominance.

“Nev?''

“Tunnelling successful. Nothing on the threat tracker.''

“Good.'' Still, best to be prepared. A glance behind me confirmed the lack of teeth, with the rapidly shrinking white ring being the only anomaly.

“Teleportation successful,'' Nev replied happily in my ear. “We have successfully reached the other world.''

“Need a name for this place.''

“Inquire one of the residents if we encounter them.''

“Good idea.'' I turned my attention to the world itself. First impressions were fairly typical. Ground, trees, a blood-red sky with the sun a white halo floating on the horizon. What I didn't expect was to be dropped close to a battlefield. Some creatures I didn't recognize featured in the far distance, and the audio sensors picked up the clanging of metal and screams of battle. Not to mention I was close to the edge of a town that had came out on the ass end of an ass kicking.

“Anything interesting on the scanners there, Nev?''

“Our entrance seems to have gone unnoticed. However, my scanners are partially blocked by the buildings to our front.''

“Got a read on some trisortium? Hoping against hope I can clock off early today.''

“I hate to be the bearer of bad news.''

“Don't worry, buddy, the universe doesn't hand out that much luck. Leave the scanner running for now, alright?''

“Will do. Additionally, the atmosphere seems to be breathable, except for a touch more sulfur than back on Earth, but I am receiving readings associated with latent radiation. It would be wise to prevent your suit from being damaged.''

“Words to live by.'' I set off toward the town, now noticing the sky had streaks of black across it. Clouds, perhaps? Despite Nev's sensors, I stayed cautious as I entered, constantly expecting something to pop out around a corner. Old habits die hard, I guess, but the town wasn't on the same page. Nothing happened. No rubble knocked over and no random debris crushed under feet. I even taunted fate by standing still for half a minute. It seemed fate was on lunch break.

Oh well. Shrugging to no one in particular, I continued forward, picking the path through the least damaged buildings. It did tell me one thing: there wasn't always fighting here. Military towns tended to be bare bones, favouring functionality over decadence. But walking around revealed a curved arch lying in rubble and cracked cooking pots housing festered water. I even spotted a series of blocks that might have been children's toys, but I could only base it on the world I knew. Could have been a TV stand for all I know, or this world's equivalent of a TV.

“Agent,'' interrupted Nev. “I detect the clouds above us have an abnormal sulphur content. It would be wise to avoid any precipitation, lest your armour gets damaged.'' I nodded in reply. “Also, I detect some heavy-weight organisms about a click to the west. I would wager in one of the ruined buildings. Maybe wise to avoid them?''

“Nah, I'm not too worried. Doubt we'd classify as easy prey.'' I gave Scythe's grip a reassuring squeeze.

“Fortune favours the cautious.''

“Not quite how that saying goes.''

“I know, but we're dealing with the unknown.''

Nodding to no one but Nev, I continued with my pace. The wreckage of the town got worse with every step. Might have been a thriving commercial hub at some point, I thought as I passed what resembled a market street, but it was well and truly dead now. Nev didn't detect anything other than the organisms he mentioned earlier. Scavengers, maybe? A family coming back to the wreckage?

Passing a few more streets took me to what I would assume to be the main street. Significantly more trashed market stalls were present, and the wreckage of the buildings looked like they were once part of something gaudier. I even spied what looked to be a church bell halfway embedded into one of the buildings, though where it came from was anybody's guess. Definitely not the building it was visiting. If the bell had fallen with a bit more momentum, I wouldn't have known there was a building in the first place. Might as well use this road. All big roads lead somewhere, after all, I thought as I set forth once more.

“Agent, it seems the creatures have taken note of your presence.'' I slowed down my pace but didn't stop walking. It's best to let an unknown enemy come to you. They obliged by emerging from one of the side roads, standing still for a few seconds as they scouted for their prey before their eyes settled on me.

“Any thoughts on how they knew I was here?''

“They seem to posses more bestial instincts compared to humans. Perhaps they have sharpened senses such as hearing?''

“Could be.'' Nev had been on the money when he described their appearance as animalistic. Walking hunched over similar to an Earthen gorilla, their appearance resembled gargoyles. Short pointy ears pointed backwards on their head as beady red eyes tried to peer through my armour. A snarl showed some carnivorous, crooked teeth that would do some damage if used, as would the thickened forearms with enough momentum.

My finger itched to pull Scythe's trigger, but I steadied myself. It would make the search for the trisortium, and by extension my life, significantly easier if I didn't need to constantly watch my back. At least, the creatures seemed to be just as confused as I was. Their pace slowed with each step as they came closer until stopping about two meters from me. It didn't take long to figure the leader, or head of the family if that was the case, was the one in the middle. Lefty seemed content to grunt questioningly in my direction, while Righty pawed the ground a little bit, eager to take a tiny step forward. Reminded me of a dog trying to fight through a fence.

The middle one was a wee bit more cautious and seemed to prove intelligence in this world wasn't limited to the human form. After pounding the ground lightly with its left fist, it guardedly took a big and bold step forward, bringing the total distance between us to about a meter. I did nothing in response, except make sure I could jump backwards and fire at a moment's notice. The creature seemed to take that as a non-hostile sign, so it raised its right hand towards me, revealing a claw more than ten centimetres in diameter. If landed with enough force, and Lady Luck was on its side, it would do more than a little harm.

I wasn't planning on having any of that, which I communicated via an unimpressed shake of the head. I wondered whether this world would understand that signal, but my worries were for naught. After stopping its hand in mid-air, the creature gave me another look, before carefully putting its hand back on the ground. Giving me a final grunt, and taking a second to see how I would react, it started walking away with Lefty and Righty following closely behind.

“It seems the creatures aren't interested in having you for dinner.''

“I'm sure the thought crossed their minds. Just needed to tell them there are smarter decisions out there. Anything else that would like to come and say hi?''

“I detect no other organisms.''

“Swell.''

“Plan of action, Agent?''

“Find trisortium, knock off.''