Ravyn woke up in shock, eyes snapping open like someone had just poured fire into his chest. He sat up so quick his head spun, his hands pressed against the dirt beneath him.
"What the… that was a dream?" he muttered to himself.
He looked down and realized with a rush that he was naked. Naked in a forest he didn't recognize.
"Wait… where am I? And why am I… naked?"
Before he could piece anything together, a voice came from behind the trees. Calm and feminine.
"This way."
Ravyn whipped around, trying to cover himself with his arms. Footsteps followed the crunch of boots in dirt. Then she stepped out: a girl with a massive sword slung casually over her back, its hilt nearly as tall as she was. Two guys followed behind her and all three of them froze when their eyes landed on him.
"Whoa..." one of the guys blurted out.
Ravyn's face burned red. He immediately tried to cover up as best as he could, crouching down, his arm crossing his chest.
"Where am I?" he asked.
The girl tilted her head. "You're in Grimland."
The taller of the two guys narrowed his eyes. "I think he's a newdrop."
The girl turned back to Ravyn, and tossed something toward him... a tattered black cloak. He snatched it and wrapped it quickly around himself.
"You're in the underworld." she said flatly.
Ravyn blinked. "Underworld… like Hell?"
"No..." she deadpanned. "Heaven."
That actually made him pause, blinking, before he said, "That explains it…"
Her eyes narrowed. "I was being sarcastic."
"Oh..." Ravyn muttered, then scowled. "Wait, then how do I get back to Earth?"
The taller guy said simply, "You don't."
"Why not?" Ravyn pressed.
"Because you..." the shorter one started but the tall one quickly cut him off with a hissed "Shhh."
They suddenly crouched low, moving toward the bushes ahead.
"Come on, I gotta.." Ravyn whispered, crawling after them.
The girl snapped her head around and hissed at him, "You're gonna scare our hunt, newdrop. And if you do, then we won't be able to kill it. We don't kill, we don't get paid. No pay, no food. And the we gonna eat you."
Ravyn swallowed hard.
The girl stepped forward, her hand gripping her giant blade. The bushes shook violently and then something burst out... a beast on four legs, thick-bodied, its skin rippling with muscle and black slime dripping from its jaws.
It sprinted straight toward her, ground thundering beneath its charge.
Ravyn's eyes widened. "What the hell is that..."
But the girl was calm. She planted her foot, lifted her massive blade and in a single motion, the already huge sword gigantic and impossibly long. She swung it in a clean arc.
The ground split as the force tore forward, the blade extending mid-swing until it cleaved straight through the beast before it even reached her. The creature was cut in half in midair and when it hit the ground, the impact destroyed it.
"Yeah..." the taller one said with a grin. "That's our Captain for you."
Ravyn just stood frozen. His mouth hung slightly open before he managed, "That's… cool."
The guys moved quickly to drag the remains, already working. One of them called back, "Hey, newdrop! You staying behind?"
Ravyn snapped out of it and hurried after them. "Why do you keep calling me that?"
"Because you just dropped from Earth, simple." the tall one answered casually.
Ravyn stumbled a step. "So I'm really… dead?"
The girl didn't even glance at him when she said, "We're all dead, man."
Ravyn's voice came low. "…Oh."
The shorter guy smirked and snapped his fingers. "Hey, I thought of a name for you. How about… Dex?"
Ravyn frowned. "No, I already have a name. It's Ravyn."
Both guys froze and exchanged a look. "Wait... you already thought of a name for yourself?"
Ravyn shook his head quickly. "No, that's the name I got from birth."
The girl finally turned. "Wait, you remember your Earth name?"
Ravyn frowned back. "Wait, don't you?"
All three of them stopped. Their faces hardened, suspicion creeping into their eyes.
"We don't remember anything about Earth." the tall one said slowly.
Ravyn blinked. "Uh…"
The girl's sword was suddenly at his throat, faster than he even saw her move. The tip of the blade pressed just under his jaw.
"Who are you?" she demanded.
"I told you..." Ravyn said quickly, hands up. "My name is Ravyn!"
Her eyes narrowed as they scanned him. Then she spotted a strange black mark glowing faintly on his hand.
"What is this?" she asked sharply.
Ravyn stared at it too, shocked. "I… I don't know. I didn't have this back on Earth."
The girl's lips pressed thin. Then she yanked her sword away and turned. "Let's go."
"And his not coming with us." she said without looking back.
"Then at least tell me how to get back." Ravyn pleaded.
She spun around, her voice rising like thunder. "YOU DON'T!"
Ravyn froze in place.
They turned to leave, one of the guys muttered, "We can't leave him here, he'll get killed."
"Not our problem." the girl snapped.
"Come on..." the shorter one said. "He'll be under my protection, then."
The girl didn't respond but didn't stop him either.
The shorter guy clapped Ravyn on the back. "Alright, you're with us. I'm Yuseke. The other one's Kevin. And our Captain there... she's Luna."
Ravyn nodded slowly, still processing.
"She's… good, you know. Though she's had her trust broken a couple of times. It's hard to get close to her now but she'll open up." Yuseke looked thoughtful for a moment. "I hope."
Ravyn walked alongside them, clutching the cloak around him tighter. His mind spun with one thought over and over:
"Dead... I'm dead. "