The proper use of a concussion

[connecticut_yankee]

Ow.

Hank finds himself halfway down a hill he definitely didn’t lie down on. There’s grass in every direction, a narrow road below him, and no sign of the fellow who gave him that blow to the head. He sits up, enjoys the warmth for a bit while he gets his bearings, and eventually goes down to the road. No sign of anyone.

“Hallo?”

Comments

[sturdycoldsteel]

A rabbit pauses on its path and looks at him. Otherwise, no response.

[connecticut_yankee]

With no better choice available, he picks one of the two directions and sets off down the road.

[sturdycoldsteel]

After a while, he can see a rather tall woman wearing mostly leather, leaning on a tree by the side of the road and eating something wrapped in paper.

[connecticut_yankee]

Finally.

"Hello. Do you think you could tell me which way to Hartford?"

[sturdycoldsteel]

"Hello. I'm afraid I've never heard of Hartford. We're on a side road near the Opri-Nel mainway, if that helps."

[connecticut_yankee]

"Opri-Nel? Is that a road? I must be farther than I thought.
I'm Hank, by the way, Hank Morgan."

[sturdycoldsteel]

"You can call me Steel. Opri and Nel are small cities, the road is named after them because it was built to connect them. I could try to get an atlas from the school, if you need to find Hartford that badly."

[connecticut_yankee]

"...I think my main problem now is finding anywhere that I've heard of at all. If those are cities, well, I've a feeling I'm not in Connecticut anymore."

[sturdycoldsteel]

"Well, try naming some places you've heard of."

[connecticut_yankee]

"If you haven't heard of Connecticut, I'm not anywhere in America. And there's no way I was unconscious long enough to cross any borders.

Canada?
Great Britain?
Earth?"

[sturdycoldsteel]

"No, no, and no. You're in the Central Province of the nation of Telra. You must be from very far away if you haven't heard of Telra - we have most of the continent, now."

[connecticut_yankee]

"You haven't heard of Earth? That would be the name of my planet.
America has most of the continent too, but it's apparently a continent very far away."

[sturdycoldsteel]

"The planet does not have a name as far as I know. I've never heard of Earth before, but I trust you're not pulling some kind of elaborate prank with that costume and pretending to be from another planet and you actually do remember being from Earth. Maybe you hit your head. Maybe you were teleported here by a mysterious force. I'd predict the former, honestly. Would you like to come with me to Opri, get your bearings?"

[connecticut_yankee]

"...Yes, please. Especially if there's an atlas involved; that'd be nice and definitive."

[sturdycoldsteel]

"Alright. It'd be more comfortable to fly there if we have some sort of skin contact. I can make the road act like we're one object."

[connecticut_yankee]

"What."

[sturdycoldsteel]

"I'm a shaper, so I can use the road-stream? That's why I give my trade name most of the time, so people know I can do magic."

[connecticut_yankee]

"Magic. You really are in a different world, aren't you?"

[sturdycoldsteel]

"Yes, we've established that. You can try for magic if you want, all you have to do is accept the risks and sit in one of the stone circles."

[connecticut_yankee]

"It's just...all the magic I've ever heard of is either of the rabbit-from-a-hat variety or a scam to part fools from their money. I'm skeptical, is all."

[sturdycoldsteel]

She steps onto the road and hovers. "Not a scam."

[connecticut_yankee]

"You also didn't ask for money and I'm not that variety of fool, but it doesn't rule out smoke and mirrors."

The road contains a distinct lack of both.

"Fast transport, though, that might." He offers a hand.

[sturdycoldsteel]

She grabs the hand. They fly, about as fast as a running horse. Steel shows absolutely no emotion while doing this.

[connecticut_yankee]

"I, uh, I think I believe you now!" He's not lying.

[sturdycoldsteel]

"Don't worry, it's safe. I can catch you even if I lose your hand, I just can't go as fast without skin contact. It will take perhaps ten minutes to get to the mainway, and twenty minutes to Opri on that. Let me know if you get cold - I'm wearing flying leathers, but you're definitely not."