The View From Here

[Carthrat]

Tom gives Tim a flat look. "Anything but that," he deadpans. "What next? You'll spam my AIM with warning signs, and kickban me from IRC channels? Good heavens!"

[Halbarad]

"I wish I could," Tim grunts. "Hell, anything normal would be a nice change at this point. Mocking you personally will have to do for now."

[Carthrat]

"I tout that normalcy is overrated," replies Tom, nodding. "My life used to consist of coding and dealing games of blackjack. Now, I get to feel heroic! It's totally sweet.

Apart from the constant threat of death, but I'm getting used to that. I think. I wish."

[Halbarad]

"I'm not," Tim replies, shaking his head. "The only reason I'm this relaxed is because half of me wants to insist this can't be real, even though I know it is. I can't seriously be making roads and paths and armored cars with my mind - but I'm still doing it. It's just... surreal. I keep wondering if I'm going to wake up, almost EXPECTING to wake up, but I know I won't."

[Carthrat]

Tom shrugs. "Well, yeah," he says, lamely. "I'm just trying to ignore the fact that it's impossible. The boundaries that we knew don't really apply anymore, and I figure it's better to get used to that than try and fight it."

[Halbarad]

"I'm not going to fight it, it's... well, it's like it's happening to someone else. Displacement activity - my mind's trying to compensate by putting off the immediate problem on 'someone else', just that that someone else is still me."

He shakes his head. "It'll hit home soon, but for right now I'll let things go on as they are. I'm just hoping I get enough information to make some sense of things soon."

[Carthrat]

"Amen to that. My modus operandi is 'follow people who look like they know what they're doing'," quips Tom.

[Halbarad]

Tim snorts. "And my motto's been 'Always look like you know what you're doing.' People will usually believe it - and oddly enough, it actually works most of the time."

[Carthrat]

"But I know the horrible truth," muses Tom. "As things stand, though, apart from those two,"- he jerks a finger at Kyle and Phae- "You and Daniel are probably the most in-the-know about this place.

Which makes you it in reality and name, eh?"

[Halbarad]

"Seems that way," Tim agrees. "I'm still not totally clear on what I'm supposed to do as a 'dreamer', but damned if I'm not going to try to find out. Once we're not in danger of dying, though. Questions can wait until we're all safe."

[Brian]

At the level of the clouds, the path levels out, though the mists obscure everything but the path ahead.  After a few more steps, they obscure even that, and everyone stops.

Before anyone really has time to think about it, the fog suddenly lifts, revealing a clay path through what appears to be a murky bog.  The mists remain, but now are far distant, and easier to see through.  The sounds of croaking frogs and buzzing flies fill the air, but none can be directly seen.  Trees rise in scattered clumps, but a few meters overhead, branches thick with spiderwebs and dark hanging moss obscure all but glimpses of a darkened sky filled with shining jewel-bright stars.

It feels almost like being in a fable.  Or a really well rendered Pixar flick.

"I feel expensive, somehow," Jim muses.

[Halbarad]

"Why do I get a suspicious feeling about this?" Tim says with a slight frown. "Either way, looks like the only way to go from here is forward."

That said, he concentrates, forming a short staff with a bit of focus, using it to test the solidity of the path ahead as he takes the lead.

[Carthrat]

Tom hangs around next to Tim, pondering the limits of the situation.

He tries to imagine himself floating a little above the ground, and hovering forward instead of walking.

[Ebiris]

"I'm just winging it," Daniel admits cheerily to Tom. "But hey, normal life is just so passé. And I bet chicks will dig the whole saving the world bit."

[Brian]

Tom unsteadily bobs in the air just over the ground.  Tim has a stick of road-testing, though no tiger traps are immediately visible.

Everyone looks around for a bit, but no dragons, monsters, creepy guys, or explosions seem to threaten immediately.