"Damn…my head."
Jafaris blinked awake, his eyes squinting at the dappled sunlight above him. With a groan, he sat up, rubbing the back of his neck, and scanned the area. All around his bald head were signs that he was in a forest. There were no buildings, no streets, no cars. Just some dusty trail running up ahead, decorated with a wall of trees and shrubs. It was also quiet, eerily so, with only a light breeze and the occasional bird chirp.
"Yo, where the hell..." Jafaris then felt a strong migraine, forcing him to let out a yelp. Horrible scenes replayed right before his eyes. The alley, the shouting, staring down the barrel of a pistol…and a gunshot. His hand instinctively went to his side, but there was nothing there. No blood. No pain. But he knew he'd been shot. He could feel it in the pit of his stomach. Was he dead or not?
Then he remembered. All because of his car…some jackass in a baclava stole his car! His fists clenched at the thought, and he could feel his blood heating up. "Fuck…" he muttered. His mind spun, replaying every detail—the way the dude had laughed as he sped off, leaving him there to die. The shock. The humiliation. That Hellcat was his soul, something that he worked his ass off for.
"I'm gonna find him," Jafaris growled, fists tightening. "And I'm gonna kill his ass" His thoughts cut off as a strange sensation washed over him.
Suddenly, his skin felt... different. It felt warmer. He glanced down and froze. A faint purple glow was radiating from his arms. It pulsed, almost like it was alive. His eyes widened in disbelief. "What the hell...?" he whispered, watching the glow flicker and intensify against his dark skin. It wasn't just a trick of the light. It was coming from him. It was now around his gray sweatpants and his black compression shirt.
His hands trembled slightly as the aura surrounded him, swirling like it had a mind of its own. "Get this shit off me man!" he yelled, flailing his arms around, but the aura stayed. He could not help but wait, staring at the purple energy with equal parts awe and fear. His breathing slowed as the glow calmed, though it didn't disappear entirely. Whatever was happening to him, it wasn't normal. But maybe, just maybe, it was exactly what he needed.
Before Jafaris could process anything else, a rustling sound came from the trees up ahead. His instincts kicked in, and he turned just in time to see five... goblins? Small, green-skinned creatures with ugly little faces, armed with jagged daggers, charging straight at him.
"What—?" he barely got out before the first one lunged at him, swiping with its blade. Jafaris sidestepped, throwing a punch, but these things were fast—too fast. Another goblin darted in from his blind side, slashing at his arm. He felt the sting before he saw the blood.
"Damn it!" he growled, clutching his arm as more of them circled around. They were small, but they fought like a pack—darting in, swiping at his legs, then backing off just as quickly. His swings were wide, slow, his bulky frame struggling to keep up with their speed.
One slashed at his leg, another nicked his side, and he could feel the sharp stings piling up, the cuts adding to his frustration. "Ain't no way I'm gettin' worked by little green midgets!" he spat, but his breathing was heavy now, and the pain was getting harder to ignore.
He swung wildly, catching one in the chest and sending it flying back, but the others kept coming, relentless. Their high-pitched screeches and laughs filled the air as they danced around him, daggers flashing in the light. Every time he swung, they were already a step ahead. They were cutting him up, little by little, and he couldn't keep up.
Before Jafaris could react, a rush of heat surged past him. Several fireballs flew through the air, slamming into the goblins. The creatures shrieked in agony, their bodies engulfed in flames. Within seconds, they were reduced to ash, disintegrating right in front of him. Jafaris fell to a knee, clutching his cuts in pain. Breathing heavily, he wiped the blood off his arm and turned around, ready to see who had just saved him. His eyes landed on two figures standing a short distance away.
The first was a girl. She had long, silky black hair that cascaded down her back, blunt bangs framing her face perfectly. Her round glasses caught the sunlight, and she was gripping a staff, the tip of it still glowing faintly from the fireballs she'd just launched. His eyes couldn't help but notice her massive chest and wide hips, her white dress clinging tightly to her curves.
Beside her stood a boy, about her height, with his blonde hair tied back in a neat horse tail. He had a frail build and was dressed in thief-like clothing—dark and form-fitting, made for sneaking around. A small knife rested in his hand, but the way he stood, relaxed and casual, made it clear he was used to more than just quick cuts.
Jafaris wiped his face, still catching his breath. "Damn…" He glanced back at the spot where the goblins had just burned to nothing. He straightened up, wincing slightly from the cuts. "Y'all really saved my ass." he said, trying to size them up as he spoke.
The boy stepped forward, a big grin plastered across his face, twirling the knife in his hand like it was a toy. "Name's Ezrah!" he said with a bit too much enthusiasm, his voice loud and friendly. "And that over there is Talia." He jerked a thumb toward the girl, who gave a shy little nod in response. She didn't say anything, just clutched her staff a bit tighter, her round glasses catching the light again. "I haven't seen your face around here!"
"You two wizards or somethin'?"
"Well…that might be true for Talia, but I'm just a thief." Ezrah nodded, still smiling wide. "Yup! Just came back from a mission, actually. Handled a few bandits, grabbed some loot, the usual." He glanced at Jafaris's cuts, the smile fading a little. "Looks like you had a run-in with the locals too, huh? Those goblins can be a real pain."
"Goblins?" Jafaris snorted, shaking his head. Was this guy talking out of his ass? He thought that Ezrah might be one of those larpers he would see wandering around. His gaze shifted back to the trail, then the trees, trying to make sense of it all. "Look man, I gotta get back home. My car was stolen, and I need to handle some business."
Ezrah blinked, his face twisting into confusion. "Car?" He scratched the back of his head, looking at Talia like maybe she'd know, but she just shrugged, avoiding eye contact. "I don't know what a car is…but you're in the forest of Dimat right now."
Jafaris frowned, his mind racing. "The forest of what?" He scratched his head, trying to process. None of this made any sense. The goblins, the fireballs, and now some random forest he'd never heard of? "Stop playing with me man. We in the USA right?"
"I'm not! I'm telling the truth" Ezrah chuckled nervously. "You're definitely not in any place called U-S-A. This is Dimat."
Jafaris stared at him, the weight of those words settling in. He was way farther from home than he thought.
Ezrah, still smiling, gestured down the trail. "Tell you what, we'll take you to the village. It's called Dimat too. You can get your bearings there. Maybe figure out why you're here in the first place," he said with a playful shrug.
Jafaris, still confused but with no better options, nodded. "Yeah."
But before they started walking, Ezrah's grin faded just a little. "Uh, but first... those cuts look pretty rough. Talia, can you... y'know, do your thing?"
Talia, still standing a little off to the side, nodded shyly. She hesitated for a moment, then walked over to Jafaris, kneeling beside him. Her hands hovered over his cuts, a soft glow starting to form around her fingertips.
Jafaris glanced down at her, catching a full view of her curves as she knelt close. Her black hair fell softly over her shoulders, and her wide hips shifted slightly as she steadied herself. He couldn't help but notice how her chest moved as she breathed. "Damn girl…" he muttered, quiet enough so she can't hear.
Talia's breathing grew a little quicker as she concentrated on the spell. Her hands trembled slightly as the warm light began to heal his wounds. She kept her head down, but Jafaris could see her blush deepening.
He frowned a bit, noticing her flustered behavior. "Hey, you good?" he asked, a bit concerned.
Talia's breath hitched, and she glanced up, her cheeks bright red. "I-I'm fine," she stammered, quickly looking away, her hands still glowing as they moved over his wounds. She tried to keep her focus on healing, but it was obvious she was flustered being this close to him.
Jafaris just raised an eyebrow, a little amused but also confused by her reaction. She was definitely shy, no doubt about that. "Aight, if you say so," he muttered, watching as his cuts slowly sealed up.
Meanwhile, Ezrah stood off to the side, watching them, completely oblivious to Talia's reaction. He seemed more focused on making sure Jafaris was alright. The three then dusted themselves off, and walked onwards to the sleepy village of Dimat.