Things had started simply enough. Taylor had gone out to survey an isolated fracture out in the desert, having made camp on a ridge overlooking the site the previous evening. If anyone was going to figure out where they came from and how to close them, he absolutely needed to take a closer look. He went over his gear as he hiked into the crater, and as he got on the same level as the glowing fissure, he thought he heard a voice call his name. Which wasn’t likely, as he hadn’t seen another soul crazy enough to venture this far out into the desert, let alone this close to one of the cracks.

Then, Taylor felt the spell take hold. His first thought was that the fissure was pulling him in, but then the scenery shifted well before he reached the edge. He’d gone from the parched red crater, to a verdant walled courtyard, suddenly in the company of four other souls with him in the summoning circle, and two more outside it, an ogress and a... halfling of some sort? Leading him to presume one of them to be the caster responsible. Listening to his fellow summoned converse, some of them acted like they were part of some sort of game, leading the man in black to sigh in annoyance. The ogre outside the circle seemed to share his sentiment, suggesting to her comrade that she test him and the others in combat. Taylor didn’t like that prospect, so he took a cautious step back, reaching for one of his pistols holstered under his coat, prepared to move if he were attacked.

To his relief, the draconic scion and the warrior maiden, both who believed this a game, followed by the inumimi, had leaped in to do battle with the ogress, giving him a chance to retreat towards the wall to re-inventory his gear in case he’d lost something in the summoning. [b][color=#0099cc]”Weapons, mags: check. Runes, gems: double check,”[/color][/b] he muttered. Satisfied all his trouble kit was still with him, he turned his attention to the melee unfolding before him, impressed with the power on display.

As the battle began to lull, Taylor saw the halfling call everyone’s attention and begin to offer explanation as to just [i]what[/i] was going on. [i][color=#0099cc]So she’s investigating the fractures, too,[/color][/i] he mused, the explanation putting him at ease that this wasn’t some sort of sadist’s game. [color=#0099cc][b]”It all seems straightforward enough. No questions from me, Julia of Azroh,”[/b][/color] he answered as he made his way back towards the center of the courtyard.