You are in Yosemite National Park, enjoying a big camping and hiking retreat combined with seminars at night on leadership techniques along with about fifty other businessmen.  The trail under your feet is good, and the other hikers, while not as conditioned to it as you, are still pretty decent.

Granted it would be more fun to hike with a few buds, but then the company is paying for this, and thats not at all bad.

Then you hear George Monroe from ahead of you start cursing, which surprises you because George is a calm man.  You look up to see what he is pointing at.  And your heart sinks.

Some idiot is walking along a cliff edge about two hundred feet in front of you, no dancing with a bo stick in hand, like they think they are in an action adventure movie, and incredibly they are blindfolded.

Then a rock slips under the dancer's feet.  Before you can even think, you're dropping your backpack, and jerking out the med supplies you brought.  And then barrelling through the crowd of stunned businessmen in front of you.

Even as you run, you think it won't do much good.  At least a two hundred foot fall, even sliding down, and miles from a hospital.  Its going to be grim.

You run up, and cast about in a frenzy for a path down.  Something appears and you plunge recklessly down it.  Somewhat to your surprise you make it down to the bottom in a cloud of dust and stone.  Your clothes are shredded, and blood is pouring out from a dozen cuts on your hands and arms as the sharp shale bits flicked you as you slid/ran down.

Upon getting to the bottom, you pause for a second.  The man could pass for an action movie star.  Tattoed, shirtless, and with muscles big enough that he probably could bench press five hundred pounds, and with less than one percent body fat, he's a very impressive specimen.

"Hey Doc."  He says calmly.  "No need to rush.  I'm not going to make it."

"Nonsense." You move closer, and note two broken legs, and with a chill see his back at an odd angle over a rock.

"Broke my back, both legs, fractured my skull, and just to make the point really clear to me that the Almighty disaproves of stupidity, a splinter through my lung."  He says with calm precision.

You start to tend him, surprised that he is not shouting in agony.

Then he puts a hand on your shoulder to stop you.  You try to move. You don't.  Its like pushing against a concrete wall.

"Doc. I'd like to thank you. Name's Marcoe. I've died before.  Its not a big deal. Now go. The cliff face is unstable."

He shoves you back like you are a doll.  But you refuse to leave, and he threatens you with rocks.  But they are easy to dodge.  Then he grimaces, and pulls himself up to his seat.  You see him stop.

And then he disappears.  There's a small drifting cloud of dust where he was.  And then a rumble above you lets you know you really should have followed his advice.  The cliff face is coming down...

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

And then you feel sand on your face, and water rippling on your feet....

OOC: We need a list of things you would bring, that you own, that weigh in total less than two hundred pounds.

    McCallister picks himself up, shaking his head to clear the cobwebs. As realization comes to him, he spins, almost stumbling; looking around and trying to makes some sense of what had happened. His body ached, he felt confusion wash over him, and he had no idea at all why he was alive.

                              I should've died!?!?!?!

    As he gulped in the fresh air he calmed down slightly. He slowly turned, and blinked some of the sand stuck to his face, out of his eyes. He let them scan his surroundings. He felt fear rise in him, where was he? Why hadn't the others gotten to him, where was the others? His head began to swim with questions....

As you look around, you realize you're standing on a beach; an island, you guess, by how the land seems to wrap around itself.  The water is lapping just a couple feet behind you on your heels.  In front of you, a good twenty metres or so, is a jungle that seems to stretch across the entire island.  In the centre of the island, a massive volcano stretches towards the sky.  As you scan it, you realize the top is tinted red, and there are puffs of smoke coming irregularly from it; it's undoubtably a volcano.

OoC: If it isn't too much trouble, do you think you could post in the 1st person?  i.e. I, me, etc.  I'm fine with you posting in 3rd, but it would be slightly easier if you did it in 1st.

A movie comes to my mind at that instant, absurd and meaningless in this situation, but nevertheless.....Joe Versus The Volcano.

After a moment of deciding that this was not a comedy, and I am not Tom Hanks,I begin to look around for my pack or any belongings for that matter. As I'm gathering my senses and thinking about my surroundings, the question keeps popping into my head. What the hell is going on here?

If I can find any of my things I make my way along the beach trying to get a feel for this place and figure out where here is. My other idea is that if there are any others on this island, they will most likely be near water. If I see any movement or signs of life I will carefully make my way to the cover of trees. Since I'm still full of questions about this place it seemed like being cautious would be the best bet to make it, well, anywhere.

(OOC: sorry it took me so long to reply. I'm having quite a time at work and every little bit of time is spent doing 'homework' or making calls, ect. Also NP with the perspective of writing, I'm flexible with my writing style. :)

You find your pack a few feet from where you woke up; nothing seems to be missing from it.  As you walk along, you notice movement along the beach up ahead.  You duck into the jungle succesfuly as the creature walks along the beach lazily.  As it nears you, you realize it looks like a large boar; most likely outweighing you by at least a hundred pounds.  As it walks along, every once in a while it digs its snout into the sand, sniffing for something.  Not finding whatever it's looking for, it moves on.

As I see this boar from a distance and realize it's not looking to dine on my flesh, I run a hand through my unkempt hair. I have a feeling this is going to get alot worse before it gets better. In my mind a remembrance of the scenes from the book, Lord of the Flies briefly passes through my conscious mind. I shake my head. Montana is a long ways away from where ever I am.

I keep moving along the jungle, not daring to venture into it just yet. I want to get a feel for this place first. I begin listing the sorts of thigns that I should be looking for in my head: fresh water, fruit or something edible, shelter, signs of civilization. I occupy myself with these survival thoughts until I can find something discernable to go on. What exactly I am searching for I don't even know. I will know when I see it, I tell myself as I walk on still wary of movements around me.

As you move along the outskirts of the jungle you notice that, besides the rumbling of the volcano, there is actually very little noise.  A few birds tweet here and there, but that's about it.  Several jellyfish are swimming close to the shore, minding their own business.

After a couple of hours, you come across a small stream.  As you look across it, you don't notice any creatures nearby and judge the area relatively safe.  You notice that the dirt on the other side of the stream seems to be brushed in a slightly unnatural way, but can't tell much besides that.

I wince whenever the volcanoe erupts, noting the time between intervals. It seems to me that I read somewhere that when it gets really close together, that's when the big boom happens. Of course that could be years away, I also read that.

After a few minutes of watching the stream I venture out and bend down to see what the heck might've made such markings on the side of it. After a bit of rummaging through my pack I realize, I guess I forgot my tracks book. Perhaps my best guess would do. I silently curse myself for forgetting the book. Ironically, it seems that this would be added to the many trips I had made that I had forgotten something. Life goes on.

While in my pack I grab a dropper of the water purifier and give my canteen a dose, before filling the thing with water. Sickness was something that I couldn't afford to be just now. I realize that I have left my own tracks as well. So I grab some foliage and rake my own tracks....

The tracks are badly scuffled, similar to yours now that you've wiped them.  It takes you a second before you note the similarity: the tracks are definetely made by a human shoe.  A few metres past the stream, the tracks become slightly more obvious.  They lead deeper into the jungle, in the direction of the volcano...

OoC: By the way, it isn't actually erupting yet.  Just sorta shaking the ground and puffing out steam and whatnot.

I do a double take when I notice that the tracks are human. Okay, I say to myself, this could be a very good thing.

So I pick my way carefully into the jungle and make my way noting my heading in relation to this stream. It is my life line if I have to stay here for long. I also put on a flannel and my bandana to keep bugs, sweat, and scratching branches and foliage off of me. I make my way to higher ground. I keep the stream behind me and set off in that direction. If this volcano isn't about to erupt anytime soon I might as well use it to my advantage for the moment.

It may take hours trudging through the underbrush but I hide my trail the best that I can. Thinking that if I can be the one to initiate contact with whoever is here that would also be to my advantage. I figure I must be in control of my situation and besides that I don't want to freak the neighborhood out at my arrival. Did I just arrive here or have I been here and missing some time??

The jungle slowly becomes thicker as you move through.  As you move along, the bird calls slow down and then cut out altogether.  The jungle is eerily quiet, and your hearing becomes more acute as you go.  Time beings to meld together, and seconds turn into minutes as you trudge through.  From the way the sun has moved, you guess you've been walking for an hour or two when you hear rustling in the jungle nearby.  A grunt quickly follows, followed by a boar dashing past you, missing you by only a couple feet.  A gunshot rings out, the smoke of the gun not  more than 10 metres away from you.  A high-pitched scream comes from the boar; as you look you see that the bullet took its leg out.

Whoever shot the gun begins to walk towards you and the boar.  He can't see you yet, but it will only take a couple of seconds...

Having dealt with a few hunters on trails has given me a good idea of what not to do in this situation: #1.Don't jump out at him...*laughbox in my head goes off*....#2.Do not hide unless you want to give him another big surprise....*Again with the damn laugh box*....and #3. Do not act weird in the presence of a serious hunter......*crickets chirping*...........

I hope I can pull this off without a hitch. He nearly shot me though. I call over in a calm voice despite the slight waver in it, "Hey! There's a person here, don't shoot! Who are you?"

Almost subconsciously my hand goes for the survival knife still in it's sheath. I'm not pulling it out, just want to feel it in my hands. Sort of security blanket feeling....I don't move but wait for a response.

The man pauses for a second before he comes into your view through the brush near to you.  He has relatively short-cropped hair and a fair amount of stubble.  A good couple inches taller than you, his frame seems to tower over you.  He's holding a large automatic rifle; you guess it's something along the lines of an M-16.  The gun goes off again and the boar stops squealing, the bullet lodged somewhere in its head.  He flips a switch on the rifle and then lowers it before turning and facing you.  "Hmph, you can call me Vars for now.  Help me get this boar back to my camp and we can talk more there."

He moves over to the boar, grabs a leg, and begins pulling it.  As he passes you, he looks up at you: "boars are good eating, you want food or not?"

I nod, lying my ass off. Never been fond of pig meat, there's something intrinsically nasty about a pig that rolls in it's own fecal matter. I begin to help him anyways grateful for any company and a chance to understand where we are. I grab a leg and begin to hoist it along. Welllll, so much for controlling the encounter, better scratch that one on the list.

"I'm McCallister", I hear myself say, "nice to meet ya, Vars." Wierd name sounds viking.....or at least Nordic. Wait what's a viking doing here in the jungles of wherever?

Vars is quiet as you move through the jungle.  He instructs you to help him hoiste the boar over larger logs several times, but is quiet for the rest of the time.  Soon, you reach a clearing.  "All right, this is my camp.  Take a quick look around if you like, then grab a seat by the fire if you want to talk."  You let go of the boar and Vars drags it to a fire that is already going in the middle of the camp.  As you look around the camp, you notice an oddity: there is a large Humvee roughly 20 feet from the fire.  "Imperial Canadian Army" is printed along the side of it.  On top of the Humvee is a large machine gun that looks like it could tear a man in half.

Besides that, there is little remarkable about the camp.  Vars is over by the fire, gutting the boar.  The smell of the animal's blood wafes over to you; if you hadn't of just dragged it through the jungle all this way it would have smelled bad.  As you look down at your pants, you realize there's a fair amount of blood on the bottom of them.  At this point, it doesn't seem as though it would come out too easily, either.

After taking all of this in and then my gaze resting on the bloodied pants, I just kinda scoff at it. This could've been a very different situation if I had surprised the Vars. I move closer checking out the machine gun mounted on the humvee. "Is this a Browning?" I ask as I circle the great weapon. I've heard a little about these automatic beasts too, my old roomate Jed used to be a tank pilot in the army, and so I have absorbed a fair amount of military jargon as well. At least enough to understand what the hell all these things are.

After taking a look around and seeing a Canadian insignia on the side of the transport, I come to a rest near the fire first pulling out my mess kit and my bag of seasonings. I reach a hand forward and offer my seasonings to him. "This may help spice up that meat a bit....So where is this place Vars, and what on earth is a Humvee doing here? If I might be so bold? Seems a little out of place."

Vars thanks you and proceeds to take your spices and put them down on a tree stump near him.  "Hey, you got a decent eye.  Yeah, it's a Browning.  Modeled after the WWII-era .50 cal."  He finishes gutting the boar and spits it over the fire, beginning to slowly turn it.  He whipes his hands on the grass to get rid of the blood before turning back to you.  "Before we continue, I should properly introduce myself."  He holds out his hand before realizing there's still blood on it; shrugging, he takes his hand back.  "Name's Vars, Micheal di Vars.  It's a pleasure to meet you, McCallister, you got a first name?  Not that it really matters, but, bah, it's always nice to know."

"Where is this place?  I don't fully know myself and, quite frankly, I really don't care.  It's a jungle island, sofar as I can tell, but you probably already knew that.  As for that Humvee, that's mine.  I picked it up a few worlds back, nice little piece of technology that one is.  I didn't believe objects that big could verse with you when I first grabbed it, but now I know they can."  The smell of the roasting boar begins to overpower the smell of congealing blood on the grass.

Now I know that I've lost it.....versing....couple of worlds back....or is it Michael De Vars that's really lost it?

My voice doesn't want to obey me at this point even though I try, "What do you mean Michael? W..worlds....???"

My next thought is of the last words from that guy at the bottom of the hill, when I helped him. "I've done this before...." My head is reeling at this turn of events. I suddenly feel nuseated and I have to run to the side of the camp and let it go. The entire contents of my stomache, which isn't much at this point, splats on the ground in front of me.

I try to put myself back together and stumble back by the fire wiping my mouth on my sleeve. "Sorry, I just don't understand and it seems so crazy....this place is another w...world......we weren't captured and stuck of the coast of Costa Rica?" I blurt out any other theory than the one that has preseneted itself. My friend used to joke about doing that to someone, so naturally it's the first thing that pops into my mind.

Vars laughed.  He poked the boar in its stomach, held his finger there for a second, and then removed his finger and whiped it on the grass.  "Not quite yet," he mumbled to himself.  "Okay," he said as he looked up at you.  "I suppose this is the first time you've versed.  First thing you have to accept is that you're dead.  Dead, gone, kaput!"  Vars waved his hands in the air like a dust cloud to illustrate this point.

Almost immediately after Vars said this, a small earthquake rolled through the ground and a larger puff of steam than usual came out of the volcano.  "Hmm, it's getting restless, it may erupt sometime soon."  He turned back to you.  "You aren't on earth anymore.  You're on another planet.  In this universe, galaxy, whatever you want to call it, there are multiple universes.  It's the multiverse.  You, me, and every other person with this ability, are known as a worldwalkers.  Worldwalkers, when they die, aren't sent to heaven or hell, pushed into an abyss, whatever you believe in.  They're sent to another universe."

"You're on another planet in another universe, kid.  Get over it.  No matter how much you try, you won't go home.  Just remember this: now that you're a worldwalker, no matter how or where you die, you will be sent to another world in another universe.  That's how it goes.  Now, of course, don't expect it to be painless... dying hurts!"  Vars laughed at this and poked the boar again.  "Ah, it's done.  Let's eat!"

Taking a large knife from next to him, Vars began to carve the boar.

The smell of the meat makes my newly emptied stomache grumble inspite of itself. As Vars begins carving, I am still digesting the information. It seems that destiny had reared it's ugly head. They were in some other place...in some other universe to be exact. Okay, if he didn't think about it like that he might be able to handle it.

I pull out the mess kit and made ready for a meal. I also dig out my canteen and take a swig. I make a mental note to go to the stream later and refill it. In the meantime he would learn what he could from Vars. This would be the ultimate survivalist adventure, he had to admit. Even though he would never see anyone he knew from home again, the prospect seemed somewhat exciting....a giggle escapes as I think of it.

"So, uh, Vars, how many worlds have you seen then? You seem to know alot about this."

Vars sliced off a hunk of meat and handed it to you.  He continued to cut into the boar as he answered your question: "Me?  I've lost count.  It's over a dozen now. I died back on Earth in... oh... let me think... 84...85...86... meh, somewhere around 1985.  Quite frankly, I don't need to think about it anymore, so I don't."  Vars put his meat on a small tin plate, dumped some of your spices on it, and began to eat.  "Hmm, these do make a difference."  He handed them back over to you and continued eating.

"So...do you have any advice for me concerning this sorta thing? I mean there are probably a thousand things worse than death that I could name. How do I stay away from that sorta stuff on a...new world?" I tried it out hearing how that sounded. As a mountaineer and a volunteer EMT I know what a number of those worse-than-death things are, and I've made it a practice not to get into situations that could cause them. Did, I corrected myself, Did know what those things were....this is a new life. Yeah, that's a good way to look at it I think...

I take my bowl and catch the chunk of meat he had given me. I withdrew my mess tool and began to saw and fork it until it was small enough to eat. I'm somewhat preoccupied by what I've heard so its not a rush to eat. Even though I can hear the sound of the volcano, and that worries me a bit, causing me to occasionally look around.

The volcano puffed another large bout of steam, and the ground shook slightly again.  "Instinct," Vars said as he swallowed a hunk of meat.  "If you verse into an awkward situation, try pretending you know everything that's going on.  Most people don't understand versing, as shown by your lack of knowledge."  Michael cut another piece of meat and slowly chewed it before continuing.  "Honestly, though, just figure out who the sides are wherever you land and pick one... or none, I suppose, but there's strength in numbers.  And, if the going ever gets too bad, remember: in essence, you are immortal: you're not going to get any older.  I suppose there are some things that could happen that would truly kill you, but, if the going ever gets that bad where you can't stand it... I suppose suicide is always an option."

Vars shrugged and sprinkled some more spices on his meat.  "Chances are, if it's really that bad, you're going to die before you have a chance to kill yourself.  I've never had to do it, and never known any versers who have."  The way Vars talks about death is slightly unnerving; his surreal way of talking shows how he doesn't think it's a big deal.
This message was last edited by the GM at 21:39, Thu 13 Oct 2005.

I nod solemnly to myself, these were the facts that I was hearing. There are things you can just tell when someone is being crazy or telling the honest-to-god-truth, it somehow sounds different and that is what I get from Vars right now. Death might not mean much to him, but then again after what I had gone through over and over, I might begin to think that too.

Taking in what he says, I begin to unpack a few things from my pack. He was thinking of what Vars had told him already. Strength in numbers...., it seemed practical enough, after all this wasn't somewhere that seemed to offer alot of other options. Though, I doubted that this rule would apply to the most prevalent threat at the moment, The Volcano, which I kept turning an eye towards distractedly.

As I go through my pack, I spot my compass, and check the bearing. Maybe since I might be on this island for a while, I would do some exploring after a while. I take a swig of my water and begin to eat in earnest. I become quiet once I hear his full story and then after a bit, "So how long you been here? Is there anything weird around that might be noteworthy?"

Vars scratches his chin for a few seconds before responding.  "I've been here three or four days now, time doesn't have a lot of meaning to me in places like this.  This place is quite boring, actually, not that much to do here."  Vars finished off his hunk of meat and put his plate down.  The fire had ebbed down, and was now merely keeping the boar warm.

"As for weird, well, the weirdest thing I've noticed is that there's no-one else around."  He chuckled to himself before continuing.  "There aren't many animals either.  This boar here is the first one I've seen besides a few jellyfish in the water."  He looked up at the volcano, its rumblings becoming more extreme and with less distance between them.  "I think this island will be blinking out of existance soon, at least how it is now.  It's only a matter of time before that volcano blows its top."

"That's probably why this place isn't inhabited by very much. Earlier I saw another boar, though it might've been the same one." I paused, "So then what do you think, is this more like a vacation than anything else then?" he chuckled out loud then.

I am beginning to feel a bit more comfortable about things now. It seems that most of the forested area was calm as well. Not much out there....

I have never seen a volcano......if what vars says is true, then I really don't have anything to fear for the time being. though burning to death does have a distictly nasty sound to it...

"Vacation?  No, I don't think so.  I don't think of any world as a vacation."  The volcano rumbled yet again, getting stronger and stronger as time passed.  Vars looked up at it warily.  "Looks it'll be blowing its top soon.  As soon as it does, I'm charging straight up its side.  You can join me or not; either way, you'll probably die."  Vars shrugged, obviously not caring what you did.

"I was thinking about taking a walk. Maybe do some sight seeing and then go and see a real life volcano up close," he paused feeling a bit crazy at the moment, "so I'll either meet ya at the top or maybe see ya again in another life."

That last part made him feel like smiling.

"Sure kid. See ya' around."  Vars says.  You nod, and begin to stroll down the beach.  The wind slips in off the ocean, and leaves you one moment smelling the jungle, and the other the sea.  The hard-packed sand near the waterline gives you the best footing.

You walk around the end of the island, closest to the volcano, and see that the sand changes color to black.  A hoard of gulls are startled by your presence, but after a quick flight into the air, they settle back down, still in your way.

PT

Feeling a bit silly or maybe just too wrapped up in my own thoughts, I begin to 'squawk' at them, throwing my hands out and waving them like a bird. When they begin to disperse, I think of how like these birds I am. They are free on this island to do whatever they want. The only thing that might stop them is the darn volcano. They have it harder than I do though because they don't get another opportunity to do things or see new things. But was I lucky to have been given this 'power'?

I continue to trapse across the sands and get a feel for how large this place is. Continuually on the look out for other wildlife, I wondered if that boar was the only one on the island. The sun was shiny though and the only clouds in the sky came from that damn Topper. So his initial feeling was right, it would be McCallister versus the Volcano. The only other volcano that I had ever even seen with any sort of closeness, was Mount St.Helens, back in Washington state. Maybe this would be more interesting than that was. Of course there were no park officials to tell me to 'back away from the volcano', as it were. Soon I would see what it looked like up close.
This message was last edited by the player at 17:45, Wed 26 Oct 2005.

Suddenly you hear behind you, the gulls take to the air with a sudden squawking.  A raucous howl from inside the jungle line raises the hair on the back of your head.  You feel the ground shiver, and jets of smoke rise from the volcano.

A screeching blur of black on the black sand and ten feet away stands a pure black jaguar, hissing and snarling at first, and then as the ground shakes further it looks at you with a "What is going on?" expression.

PT

Slowly I unbutton the sheath to my survival knife, trying not to make any sudden movements to cause the creature to spring at me. I also take advantage of the distraction and do my best to skirt the percieved 'danger zone' of the great cat. Although I had seen puma in the wild, never had I seen one this close or so bold as to attack a human. All I could do I realized, was hope for the best and prepare for the worst. With startled nerves, I began to think on what it might be like to be eaten by one of these predators, and it was not pretty. So I withdraw the knife slowly, protectively, getting a good grip on it.

You start slipping away from it, and it yowls at you, but perfunctorily, as its mind is on other things.  The ground shakes again, and the cat takes off in a streak down the beach away from you.

You relax for a second, but then looking up at the volcano you see molten lava trickling down the sides in small to the eye gobbets that are probably closer to the size of Volkswagon Beetles.

From the other side of the island you hear the electronic blaring ofRide of the Valkyries.

PT
This message was last edited by the GM at 01:29, Thu 27 Oct 2005.

"That won't be a long ride....," I almost chuckle to myself.

I don't wanna miss the show though so I head in that direction. I aim myself for the areas that aren't quite so red and spicy. I want this to be quick, if I have to go.....but I do want a seat in the front row....

I begin to run through the jungles towards the inferno. Hoping that I can get to the top before Vars does. Call me curious or morbid, but I wanted to see him 'Verse, that's what he called it alright. I wanted to see him take the hummer with him, you'd think that would be a sight to see all by itself. If he does it, Copperfield would have nothing on this guy....

You dodge through the jungle, vines tripping you, and sword-shaped leaves thrashing your arms flung up before your face, and come to the foot of the volcano in time to see a house-sized chunk of lava come tumbling down the mountainside to your right.

Gulping in the increasingly acrid air, you start climbing.  The volcano is now continuously trembling.  If not for the sound of Wagner's music, you would have a hard time finding Vars.

But because of it, a few minutes later, you see him ahead of you, driving the Humvee like a madmen straight up the volcano side.  It looks like he's not going to stop.

PT

There he goes....I think to myself as a cloud of sulfurous smoke washes over me. If I'm gonna see this I have to hurry it up. Doubtful that I'll be able to make it up before the Hummer but people can still get through places that hummers can't.....

I begin to push myself to the maximum extreme, I've visited the land of hurting muscles before and I know just how to get there. I start to run up the mountainside as fast as my legs can go. When necessary, I use my hands to gain purchase. If I cut straight up maybe, just maybe....

At some point in the climb I pause to choke on the gasses and pull the bandana down over my nose to help filter the smoke and chemicals that are spewing from the mountain god.

You hear a faint stuttering sound of the machine gun firing in the roar of the volcano.  Lava is streaming down to your right, and your left.  You realize even if you turned around now, you're past the point of no return.  You'd never get back to the beach in time.

Strangely this frees you.  You leap forward faster, more reckless but at the same time as sure-footed as a mountain goat.  A giddy grace fills you.

And then you step wrong.  A sudden correction is not enough as the slope moves of its own accord under you, and you hear a sickening crack as your thighbone snaps.

Straining to look uphill, you see di Vars, standing at the edge of the mouth, with a sword in hand, impossibly knocking rocks the size of his body aside with his blade.

And then he misses one, and it smacks him downhill, flipping in the air, past you, and you whip your head around to keep up.  The rock is still high in the air, but di Vars is gone.  Looking back, so is the Humvee.

PT
OOC: Not quite good enough dice roll, but there does seem to be a logical conclusion to be drawn here.  You can verse yourself out.  I should probably be back on Monday, and have a new world ready for you, and a new thread.

I drag myself upward, clenching against the white hot pain in my leg. I gasp when I feel the beginning of the compound fracture; a shard of bone in my thigh had begun to tear through the muscle and tissue. I stop, flop around to my back laying in the dirt, and simply stare into the clouds. It's not as pleasant as it seems however, because of my training, I know that I am already feeling symptoms of shock. A chemical is being released into my brain which is making me feel wonderful at the moment. I try to relax my body anyways, because the last thing I wanted to do today was die of a torn femoral arterie.

I pull my head up to look down at my oddly angled leg, peeling my pants back from my thigh it's too late, I can already see the nasty black and blue signs of internal bleeding there, just under my pantleg in my right thigh. I replace my zipper. Damn my mind for knowing that, inside I am already thinking of how my blood pressure will be dropping sharply in a couple minutes if not already happening. It was time to Verse. I began to pull myself up the mountain again that wonderful chemical blasting through my veins would only give so much. I crawl perhaps another thirty feel before I see down the mouth of the Volcano.

This is the sight I wanted to see. There's huge red blots down there and smoke is rising up at a tremendous rate. I marvel for a moment, that is the smoke of burning rocks! Not without humor even now, I shake my fist at the Volcano. You may have won this round, next time you won't be so lucky!!!.........

Then the Volcano swallows me whole.
I have barely enough time to see the flower bloom, it's almost like slow motion. Petals of flame and molten metal and stone unfold in a creshendo of color and light. I doubt I will never see anything so beautiful.

And for the continuing story, check out McCallister's Mansion.

Playtester