Comrades

"Hello, my name is Jayden Brody, what's your name," Jayden asked the other two kids.

"Hello, my name is Wei Anli," the girl said.

"Hello, I am Ofan Blaise," the red-headed boy said.

"It is good to meet you. I am twelve-years-old and I come from a planet called Earth," Jayden said.

"I too am twelve and I come from a planet called Gengdi," Wei Anli said.

"I am also twelve and I come from the Magic Realm of Magdak," Ofan Blaise said.

"I am unfamiliar with this world, do either of you know where we are?" Jayden asked. The other two shook their heads no. They all silently looked at one another and then around them. They noticed that there was a black tear in the air just behind them just like Jayden had earlier. It looked like a portal of some kind. Perhaps that's where they came from?

"Did any of you get a gaming system?" Jayden asked. He figured since they shared so many memories with one another and came from similar backgrounds he could trust them. It was just a probing question. Both Wei Anli and Ofan Blaise nodded their heads.

"Mine is a Wizard gaming system," Ofan was the first to speak.

"Mine is a Superhero gaming system," Jayden said.

"I have an immortal cultivation gaming system.

Do you guys understand what the systems are for?" Jayden asked.

"I think it's a kind of training apparatus," Ofan offered.

"Yes, I have heard stories of old grandpas whose spirits are trapped in artifacts and teach students to guide them on the path of immortality. Perhaps this system is an old grandpa," Wei Anli said.

"An old grandpa?" Jayden wasn't sure what to make of that comment. He thought for a little while before continuing with their discussion.

"It seems like mine isn't working right now. It said, I need to gain experience before I could open it again," he said.

"Mine said the same thing," Wei Anli shouted." Ofan indicated he too had something similar.

"I wonder what kind of experience it wants. At any rate, he should probably try to find someplace with other people. We can't just stand around here forever," Jayden said. The other two kids realized he was right so just followed him.

Jayden walked to the road but then couldn't decide which direction on the road they should go down. The road was going in a north and south direction by Earth standards. Who knew if the directions were the same here.

"Should we go north or south?" Jayden asked his companions. Neither of them had an opinion and just shrugged their shoulders. "Let's go north, I'm from the south so if I want to leave home it was either head to the gulf or go north," Jayden picked his direction arbitrarily. They had to choose anyway.

The three didn't walk too far before they saw the outline of a town. They were glad to see civilization once more. "It's amazing there's a town so close," Ofan said.

"It could be built close on purpose," Wei Anli said.

"Why do you say that?" Jayden asked.

"That tear in space looks like a portal of some kind. Maybe people come through there all the time. If that's the case then it makes perfect sense to build a town nearby.

"Shouldn't they build a sign to tell us which way to go?" Ofan asked.

"Maybe it doesn't matter if we went the other direction I wouldn't be surprised to find another town close by," she said.

"Who knows, I am more worried about what we'll do when we get to town," Jayden said.

"Why, what are you worried about," Ofan asked.

"We're just three kids. On my world kids had certain protections thanks to the law. When I saw your memories I didn't see any protection from the law. Both of you come from dog-eat-dog worlds. The strong have a right to live and the weak have no power over their lives. If that's the case here, we can't assume these people we'll be kind to us just because we're kids," Jayden said.

"I wasn't expecting them to be nice to me because I'm a kid," Wei Anli said.

"Me neither," Ofan said.

"Well, I guess I was hoping they would be. At the very least we shouldn't look so disheveled. Let's take a minute to make ourselves look nicer," Jayden said. The other two agreed and everyone groomed themselves the best they could.

Finishing their self-grooming, the three comrades walked into the town. As they walked in the people in the town were staring at them. There were all sorts of people, and beast people, and unidentifiable objects that might have been people. The beast people didn't bother Wei Anli and Ofan as much because where they came from there were also beast people. The other completely alien creatures made them all concerned.

They saw a restaurant where there were more people and headed there. "With more people, we'll have more of a chance of someone taking pity on us if people turn hostile," Jayden said. They walked to the restaurant which had an outdoor seating area under a wooden roof. The walls only came up to the middle thigh of Jayden and his friends.

The entire tow reminded Jayden of a Mexican village from an old Clint Eastwood Spaghetti Western. It fit in well with the desert environment. There weren't many villages in the town and they were all made of wood. Jayden really liked the wild west feel of the place. His two companions were more worried about the people staring at them as they drew closer and closer into the crowd. Anything could happen to them, especially the closer they came into the circle. It wouldn't take much to close rank and then the kids would have no escape route.

They tried to look confident as they walked in, but they could tell no one believed they weren't scared out of their minds. "Looks like we've got some fresh meat!" A skinny man with a physique similar to a vulture said as he seemed to bring his hands together like a greedy banker. His stringy brown hair looked like it hadn't been washed for months. His yellowing teeth were even more obvious against his pale skin. A small sword hung from his hip and a shield was on his back. Red trousers, black boots, and a black shirt finished his dress. The man stared at Jayden like he was about to eat him whole.

"I call dibs!" he said with a sinister smile on his face.

Jayden, Wei Anli, and Ofan were all scared out of their minds.