Bold as Brass ran out after a minute of walking, her arm reverting back to its previous soreness. The tourniquet helped, but Tess knew she needed to find someone who could actually bandage her arm.

It didn’t help that she was walking around with her stomach exposed. The amount of bugs swarming nearby fueled her imagination. Diseases of every kind ran through her mind, each one worse than the last.

“Keep it together,” she said. “A town will be nearby, there will be a healer, and you can focus on other things.”

What that would be, Tess wasn’t going to think about. Goals could wait after survival.

As Tess walked, she used Bold as Brass whenever her arm started to truly bother her. Strangely enough, after around ten minutes her arm felt sore but manageable.

She attempted to move her arm, finding that she could maneuver it without much pain. Sure, there were twinges here and there, but not the deep aching that came before.

“What in the…” she trailed.

“Shut up,” Tess said.

She rolled her shoulder, then her entire arm. “Why does it feel fine?”

“What?”

“You’re telling me I have super healing,” Tess deadpanned.

“I’ll take your word for it,” Tess sighed. “Is there anything else you haven’t mentioned yet that might be vital to my understanding of everything?”

The woman shook her head. She doubted this deity had revealed everything to her, but she wasn’t about to try and call him out on it. As much as she hated to say it, the system they had given her had saved her life. It was hard to think of this god as someone malicious after the fact.

She could still think they were an idiot. It would take a lot to uproot that.

Buzzing pulled Tess out of her thoughts as insects swarmed over the river. She kept an eye on them as she walked, clocking many that resembled species on Earth.

A particularly large one caught her attention, “Is that a dragonfly?”

Tess rolled her eyes.

The dragonfly hovered over the river, darting back and forth across the waves and through the swarms of insects. Every movement brought a few of the insects into its mouth.

Tess leaned back in surprise as it moved closer. This thing was larger than her head!

“Like something from the dinosaurs,” she whispered.

“So I should know a lot of what I encounter?” Tess asked.

Tess kicked at a stone in front of her. “Great…”

The woman continued on her journey, performing the same motions every day as she walked. The tourniquet came off as she moved, revealing a scabbed, but working, arm. She washed the cloth in the river, using it to wipe herself down in the heat of the day.

After two more days of travel, Tess came to a split in the forest.

Instead of wild, chaotic growth, the trees were now set in neater rows. Their branches, once jutting out in varied patterns, were all pointed upward to the sky. Around them rested berry bushes, herbs, and other edible plants, all easily pickable.

The most noticeable change was the river. Various pathways had been dug from it, leading perpendicular to the downhill flow toward further farmland.

“I think we just hit civilization,” Tess said.

“I’m sure that won’t be too hard,” Tess said.

As she continued downriver, Tess felt all the tension and stress leave her. She’d done it. She’d survived the mountain lion, the landslide, and all these new challenges in this new world.

Finally, she could relax a bit. She could think about what to do next.

A gust of wind whipped through Tess’s hair, strong enough to push against her. She stumbled, unprepared for such pressure.

A hand held her steady.

Tess jerked, spinning around to see a man with flowing silver hair and strong gray eyes.

“Easy,” he said steadily.

Tess stared. She couldn’t help it. The man in front of her had blue skin! Well, it wasn’t a vibrant blue, more like a mix of gray and blue. Like a cloudy sky in the day. More muted than a cloudy sky, though, as if someone mixed the sky and ivory skin together.

He wore multiple pieces of leather tied together with belts and buckles, with knives strapped all along the side. The whole ensemble had been painted in shades of brown and green, and Tess realized it was camouflage. She had encountered some kind of hunter, or perhaps a border scout.

“I know you must be in shock,” the man said, his voice soothing. “I’ve heard stories of survivors who traveled across the wilderness.”

“No,” Tess answered. “You’re just. Well, you’re so different than I expected.”

The man looked Tess up and down, taking in her short stature, freckled skin, brown hair, and amber eyes. “You certainly don’t look like any Jejende I know. You must be far from home.”

“You have no idea,” Tess said.

She realized the man still held her by the shoulder. She pulled away gingerly. “Listen, how about we find a safe place to rest, and then you can start asking questions. I’m sure you have plenty. I know I do.”

The man nodded. “Sensible. I know a rock not too far that’s perfect for reclining.”

“Lead the way,” Tess said.

The man started walking, Tess following a few steps behind. Periodically, the Genasi would turn back, but Tess didn’t feel any suspicion. More a sense of concern.

Tess could see how that might be the case. She was sure she didn’t look the best right now. Her shirt was ripped, parts of it still bloody despite her attempts to wash it off in the river. Her arm still had scabs from where the Blink Panther attacked and her whole body was covered in sweat.

The two arrived at the rock, a large piece of stone that the elements had weathered into something resembling a chair. Moss clung to the bottom, but the top stood bare. Likely because many used it as a resting point.

The man gestured to the stone. “Sit.”

Tess, grateful, leaned back on the stone.

“Let’s start with names,” the man said after Tess got comfortable. “I am Mirari.”

“Tess,” Tess answered. “You’re being awfully nice to a stranger, you know that?”

Tess dismissed the box with a mental finger-flick.

“You look like one who needed kindness,” Mirari said. “Besides, few would go as far as to wound themselves to divert suspicion. It’s much more likely that you were a traveler who ran into a dangerous beast and got lost.”