The Wrong Person Was Transported to the Horrific Lost Village

 

The crash site--it didn't look great.

"Hey they're back!" called one of the survivors.

He left some of the others and ran up to us. Glasses, skinny, jumpy, and tired-looking--this must have been the one leading the tour, Mikos.

"We've gotten everyone except for Susy out of the bus," he said. "That log still has her pinned."

Lorio gestured to our group. "We've got wagons up the way. We're going to move your people up to the wagons. Rigs and Pitter here are going to help your Mister Tolk."

Rigs gestured to Paulie. "Show us over to Tolk. We'll get started on moving him out of here." Rigs glanced at the forest floor. "Watch your step with the mist."

I grimaced at the sight. The mist was already ankle-high. This was definitely going to be a hazard. How many times could one trip at the worst possible moment? Well, I'd find out today.

Rigs and Pitter took the stretcher they brought and followed the boys while Mikos kept updating us.

"We're just working on getting the bags out of the bus, and some others found a pond, so they're just grabbing some water--that was a good use of our time, right?" Mikos asked, looking like a lost puppy.

"Of course. Gathering supplies is always a good idea," Lorio replied. He gestured to the two other coachmen. "We've got to get the girl unpinned. Let's go, boys. Mari, help where needed? That sound good."

"Of course," I said. "Don't be afraid to ask me to lend some muscle."

"Heh. I'll hold you to that."

Lorio walked off with his friends, leaving me with Mikos.

"Hello," he said, averting his eyes.

"Hello," I replied, walking past him. "I'll go help out with the injured."

"Right! Yes, please... and thank you!"

I was in full-on observation mode.

Rigs and Pitter had gotten Mister Tolk onto the stretcher.

"Don't worry, sir; we're gonna get you to safety," Rigs said, showing a softer expression than the one he showed Paulie.

"Thank you, lad. Much appreciated."

"Please hold on, Tolk!" said the tan man walking with them--must have been Gran.

Tolk was holding a bloody rag around the spear. No one had removed it, so that was good. I was a bit concerned as to whether we could save him, though. Without healing magic, we would have to rely on mundane means... That was kind of a scary thought. Given Rigs's confidence, though, the village must have had medical supplies and someone capable.

"It's okay, Mei... you'll be okay."

"Don't cry, Kia. We'll be okay."

Two girls were consoling each other. The dark-haired one was kneeling next to the one with her left arm in a splint and resting across her body. Someone had decided to keep the broken arm straight and secured it to Mei's body. Beside Mei was a girl in a sweater with a lot of clothing pressed against her face--she must have been the teenager who got mangled the most. And then, sitting near a tree was the big one, Gregorio. He looked like a perpetual smile--I could tell that much despite how faint he was looking. The woman next to him must have been Cassandra. She looked guilty--she must have been pleading for him to stay awake.

A crow cawed above us suddenly. I looked up and scowled. "Classy."

A murder of crows was in the trees above us. My eyes scanned one crow after the other, looking for any signs of fuckery. Didn't look like there was any. Just good old-fashioned creep factor. 

"Everyone!" Mikos called. "There are wagons up the way! If you can move, please go to the wagons! I'm going to go get the others!"

I scanned the area again. Paulie, Jackson, Mikos, Susy, Mei, Kia, Tolk, Gran, Gregorio, Cassandra, and the mangled girl were here. That was eleven out of twenty.

The bus driver, survival expert Mitch, buff Ryza, tiny Hari, the two teenagers, Haunting, sleazy Kaz, and bandager, Reio, were unaccounted for in my personal count. Of special concern was the bus driver who was supposed to be injured. Was he just walking around?

Given no one was freaking out, I assumed everything was fine and walked over to the wounded girls. "Hey, I'll help you girls up to the wagons."

Kia looked at me and nodded. "Thank you..." she said, stunned. She looked pretty out of her depth.

"You have any bags?" I asked, snapping her out of her staring.

"Yes, right here," she said, pointing at two stuffed backpacks and a pink duffel bag. 

I threw a backpack on and threw the duffel bag around my neck. "Peak condition, don't fail me now..."

Then, I walked over to the girl with the face wounds and helped her onto her feet. She had a dark eye and short black hair with a few piercings in her ear.

"Can you walk?"

"I can," she replied, pressing the cloth against her face.

She stumbled on her first step, so I swooped in, slipping beneath her arm and helping her along. "I'll help you. Do you have any bags?"

Her one uncovered eye pointed me to a black backpack.

Kia came and grabbed the backpack quickly. "You're already carrying so much! I can help with this, Miss."

I smiled. "You're a sweetheart. Oh, and my name is Mari."

"Nice to meet you, Mari!"

"Okay, make sure your friend doesn't stumble. The mist is getting thicker by the second, and the ground isn't even."

"Okay! Come on, Mei," Kia said as she held onto Mei and helped her along.

"Thanks. And thank you, Mari," Mei said as they passed me.

I followed behind the pair, ready to try and catch them if they stumbled. It would be hard with the other wounded girl leaning on me, but I was hoping peak physical condition would allow me to be daring.

We walked past the bus as a piece of luggage flew out from the undercarriage storage. Then, with a loud grunt, a woman appeared from the storage, and pulled herself back up onto the bus.

"Whew!" she said while wiping her brow. "That was the last of it!"

It was the extremely muscular woman--Ryza. She wasn't wearing anything extravagant-- just a blouse whose sleeves struggled against her muscular limbs and a pair of cargo pants. She wasn't on the level of a fitness model--no, that level of muscle mass was consistent with someone who lived and breathed the training lifestyle. I had to wonder if it was vanity muscle or if there was something there. 

My peak condition, aided by video game logic, versus her diet and lifestyle-aided strength. I wondered who would win in this world... I'd need to know in case things became hairy and I couldn't Level Up again and regain my augmented state. Having someone with mundanely grown strength could be essential.

"That's Ryza," Kia said. "She's really strong. She helped all of us out of the bus. Even Mister Greg."

"Good," I replied. "She's probably pulled her own weight and then some."

Ryza and I locked eyes. She smirked at me, and I nodded back.

"Oh my gosh," Kia said, giggling. "Is there, like, a connection there?"

Mei scoffed. "It's obviously the bond between strong women."

"Oh my gosh, you're totally right!"

I chuckled in response to the two girls. "Then, do we have a similar connection too?"

The two looked at me with confused expressions.

"You just went through a traumatic incident, and one of you is so hurt, yet neither of you is hysterical." I smiled at them, hoping they could sense my warmth. "You're both plenty strong, don't you agree?" 

Kia's mouth fell open, but she slowly closed it until she was smiling sheepishly. Mei, meanwhile, pressed her lips together. It looked like she was trying to hold back an even wider smile, her eyes watering.

I looked at the wounded teenager who I still didn't know the name of.

"You're strong too."

She glanced at me. "Thank you," she whispered.

"Yay!" Kia said. "Yeah! We're totally strong!"

"Heh, of course we are," Mei followed. "I could take five more crashes, no problem."

"Please, no," the wounded teen mumbled. 

I chuckled again. "Yes, let's not say that until we've completed the wagon ride, hmm?"

We made our way up a gentle slope, spirits renewed.

"Paulie told us about who was on that bus, girls," I said. "I couldn't help but notice that some people are missing."

"My friends went to get water," said the wounded girl.

"Yeah, and then the other girl, Haunting, stayed on the bus with Susy," Kia said.

"Is that girl--Susy--still freaking out?"

Kia shook her head, her eyes widening a little. "No, she was like, super still for a long time, then she would spasm a few times. Ryza said she was borderline catatonic or something like that. Hey, that's a big word, right? I didn't think Ryza talked like that."

"She's obviously got a muscular brain," Mei said, nodding to herself.

I groaned inwardly. "Hope this girl's not in the throes of a psychotic break still... Psychosis and sketchy woods--not a good match."

Kia giggled. "Yeah, these woods are totally sketch! Don't you think so, Mei?"

Mei let out a labored giggle. "Heh, yeah. Super sketch... Hey, lady--erm, sorry, Mari--there's another person in the bus. The kid--Hari."

"'Kid?' There's another kid?"

"Yeah, the way she dressed and put on her makeup made people think she was a little older, but no--that's no short woman. That girl's a child. Maybe twelve. Her makeup is tacky."

"Thanks for that bit of info."

"Ryza told her to stay in the bus, so she stayed."

"Yeah, Ryza and Hari have a really weird vibe between them, don't they?" Kia followed.

"Weird vibes, huh?" 

I pressed my palm against Kia's pink duffel bag. Ryza and Hari weren't the only pair with "weird vibes" between them. This pair of friends too--the duffel bag felt more packed than what I would have expected for a day or two in the mountains. I could also feel what I was certain was a hairdryer. Strange choice. 

Also, these two looked like they had no idea what they were doing in the great outdoors. They were the last people I'd expect to be on a tour to find some hidden village in the mountains.

I shook my head. I hadn't completely abandoned the possibility that someone had trapped me in an illusion, but... eh, this level of ignorant "out-of-placeness" was hard to replicate in an illusion. I sincerely doubted that hateful goddess understood teenage folly enough to integrate it into an illusion.

Anyway, I got the girls up to the wagons and got them on. Rigs and Pitter had already secured Tolk by the time we got there. Rigs stayed with Tolk, Gran, and the girls, while Pitter and I returned to the crash site.

"We're making good time," I said.

"Aye, but that pinned girl might be a bit more troublesome than we gave her credit for. Trying to pull her out is going to eat up a whole lot of time."

"We're not going to abandon her, right?"

"No way. Both because it's not the right thing to do, and because we'll get punished for it sooner or later."

"Yeah, karma's a bitch," I replied.

"You have no idea."