"But why can't I go?" Whining like a newborn, Maria was completely miffed at us. "You know I've been looking forward to seeing the Other World more than anybody," she pouted stubbornly.
"Because we need somebody to stay behind in case something happens and our parents contact us again," I explained patiently, for the thousandth time.
"And you know it wouldn't be safe for you to go into the other world by yourself alone," I reminded Maria, gently.
"And you also know that I and Vicky can't be separated, so one of us can't stay behind while the other goes with you," I cut her off before she could even start again. "Cause POOF every night. Remember?"
"I remember," Maria pouted. "It just isn't fair!!"
"Sorry." Hugging her tightly, there really wasn't anything else I could say as I turned and gingerly stepped through the portal to the Other World.
Vicky was utterly right – the very first thing one noticed when crossing the boundary was the intense heat and humidity. The Other World reminded me of sitting in a hot sauna with the steam turned up low. It was definitely at least ten degrees hotter, and twenty percent muggier than our world -- and that was if we compared it to the outside part of our world. Compared to the climate-controlled, air-conditioned environment that was our home, and there wasn't any comparison at all!
The second thing one noticed when entering this Other World was the vertigo. Apparently, the way we figure, my power directly connects one point in one world to a corresponding one in the other world. Since we were up on the second floor of our home, the portal I created opened up on the second floor of a non-existent house on the other side.
One second I was in a climate-controlled house, with four walls and a floor and ceiling around me. The next moment, I was in the blazing heat and humidity, standing in the relatively safe point where several trees grew together, with open forest all around. Needless to say, it was more than a little disorienting, and all I could do is lean heavily against the trunk of one of the trees and wait to accumulate.
The air was clear, with no hint of smog or oil in it. The forest was peacefully quiet, but not unnaturally so. The natural buzz of insects and nature was all about, with nothing except the oppressive heat and humidity to distinguish it as anything different from our world.
"All good up there?" Vicky called up to me gently from the ground below. Both of us had read plenty of stories about Other Worlds before, and neither of us wanted to draw some monster's attention on us unaware. Ending up in a goblin or troll's stomach wasn't very high on my to-do list. All we were hoping to do with this trip was to explore a little of the surrounding environment, and maybe bring back some fruits or seeds to study, along with a few simple water samples which we could mail off for water quality analysis.
Just a quick hop in for First Contact, for a brief look around, then back to our world to study what we learned. The simplest of plans – what could possibly go wrong with something like that??
"I'm fine." Waving back, it took me a moment to work my courage up to step out onto the rope ladder that dangled from a limb above down to the ground. How the hell Vicky could work up the courage to climb up there and attach it was completely beyond me. She's got a lot more guts than I'll ever have!
Finally reaching the ground, I gave the small fishing string a few gentle yanks, and pulled the ladder back up into the tree where it wouldn't be immediately noticeable. Our goal this time didn't involve closing the portal itself – it was mostly hidden by the trees and their leafy foliage – but we still didn't want to draw any more attention than necessary to it. Out of sight and out of mind seemed the most logical policy to follow.
"Are you ready?" Reaching up, I double checked the little GoPro cameras attached to the tops of my shoulders, to make certain they were turned on and powered up. Simple little boxes with lenses, Maria had attached one on each of the shoulders of my shirt, facing in opposite directions. One should record whatever I see, while the other faithfully records everything behind me.
"I'm ready," Vicky confirmed, smiling brightly.
Looking over at her, I honestly wasn't certain which of us was the craziest in regards to this world. Looking almost as if she was ready for another of her mother's exploitive photo shoots, Vicky was dressed in nothing more than a short, thin loincloth and a pair of lace-up sandals. Her ample breasts were basically covered by nothing more than a single string which wrapped around her torso above them, and then covered with a loose cloth that dangled from that string and hung several inches loosely below her breasts.
If that description isn't good enough for you nobodies to visualize, then try to picture a woman's bikini top, which wraps snuggly all around her breasts. Now imagine the cloth/wire/support being removed with just the top strings/elastic holding it in place. *That's* basically Vicky's barely-there top!
And, of course, the bottom wasn't any better. As I mentioned, it was just a simple loin cloth as well. A single string tied around the waist, with a silken cloth almost – note the *almost* – almost as wide as your hand, and barely longer than her crotch, dangling freely in the front and back!
Vicky was the pure epitome of the new "barely-there" Bloomer Burn fashion, whereas I, on the other hand, choose to go the "stupid white man jungle explorer" route of fashion. Long pants. Full length shirt. Heavy boots. Large brim straw hat to block out the sun. I dressed for what I thought would be minimal protection necessary, while Vicky dressed for maximum exposure.
And, I was already beginning to rethink my choice!
This Other World is hot. Too fucking hot! And humid as hell! Even though we've only been here for a few brief moments already, and even though it was still the relative coolness of early morning, my clothes were already to stick sweatily to my fat ass body.
I have a feeling, Vicky's attire is much more reasonable for this world than my own. Protection from heat stroke trumps protection from poison ivy by a wide margin in most survival manuals!
"Vicky, no tanning and no burning," I ordered her firmly. I'm hoping that since I can alter her skin tones at will, that a simple command will be all it'll take for her not to burn, blister, and turn radish red after spending some time in this world. As for me? SPF-3000, baby! I lathered that crap on thick enough, you'd think I was trying to take a bath in it.
As of this particular moment in time, I'm certain I'm the Other World's world-record holder for, "Most sun-blocked individual ever".
"Yes, Master," Vicky giggled, smiling back brightly at me, in response to my odd command.
"Then stick with me," I ordered quietly. "Stay close and keep your eyes opened for anything unusual. We're going to start looking around this place."
"Yes, Master!" Positioning slightly herself off to my side, Vicky straightened up and became all business. Even though the videos Maria watched from this world never showed anything more dangerous than a few small rabbits, squirrels, and birds, that didn't mean there wasn't truly dangerous things just lurking in ambush behind the next bush for us.
"Master, it's unusual!" Unbelievably, Vicky and I hadn't went more than five minutes away from the cluster of trees that hid the spot where we'd crossed worlds, before she stopped and pointed out an obvious change in the landscape.
"A road? In the middle of the forest?" I could barely believe my eyes!
"Not a road," Vicky corrected, softly. "It's too small for a road," she reasoned. "I'd say it's more of a walkway."
Moving up and looking closely at it, I had to agree with her assessment. Pure white stone was stacked neatly side-by-side, forming an almost perfectly smooth pathway through the forest just wide enough for two people to walk upon side-by-side. No grooves or indentures were either on, nor around, the walkway, to give any indication that it'd ever been used by any sort of carts or wagons. Perhaps, if this world was more like ours than I imagined an Other World would be, this might be able to be used as a skate or skateboard trail – it was that smooth!
"Let's follow it," I told Vicky, feeling oddly relieved. I just can't imagine any sort of monster taking the time to establish such a perfectly smooth and uniform trail through the woods. No, this had all the hallmarks, in my mind, of intelligent design by a race with superior knowledge.
This path was elven, human, or dwarven made, in my mind, and none of those races are inherently hostile to humans usually. At least, they're not in the the vast majority of games and novels I tend to read. Normally it's humans and demi-humans verses the hoards of evil monsters and undead that make up the rest of the world.
Since this particular Other World is connected to ours via my mystical wish, I hope I'm not overthinking things.
Man, it would *REALLY* suck to be captured or murdered by an angry foreign nation on our first day here. Let's hope nothing stupid like that happens!
"Left or right?" Vicky asked, looking first one way and then the other down the trail.
"Right," I shrugged. When playing a game for the first time, and you're surrounded by the fog of unknown darkness, one direction is just as good as the other.